Lil' Bird: The Beginning
by LittleRin26
Summary: When the world ended, the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane* Shane x OC
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*

**Warning: **This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

**Pairing: **Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

**Notes: **Shane will not be the bad guy in this...I'll find other more sutible characters for that.

**Chapter One**

Never in a million years did I think I'd see the apocalypse. I certainly never expected to see it and not be with my family when it happened. But here I was stranded on the side of the road with a dead jeep in what was once bumper to bumper traffic.

This trip up from Tampa hadn't been an expected one. I wish I could say I was taking a nice road trip to celebrate finales or some big promotion—but no—I had been headed home to possibly burry one of the most important men in my life.

He'd been shot in the line of duty by some idiot in a stolen car.

I nearly collapsed when Lori had called to break the news and I was pretty sure if Becky hadn't been there when she was, I would have. Rick—my twin brother—had always been my whole world. He was my hero as a child, my confidant in almost everything as a teenager and my partner in crime. So—when I heard that he was in a coma he might never wake from—I nearly had a heart attack.

Shane had called several hours later—apparently after he had left the hospital—to check on me. I told him that I was certainly not fine and that I was having a hard time dealing with this by myself. It was Shane's idea for me to come home—though I think I was way ahead of him in that respect—I had already had my bags packed into my rusty old CJ7 and hauling up interstate I-75 out of central Florida.

"Well shit," I groused to my eight year old bloodhound. "We just can't catch a break, can we Tru?"

Trusty turned in his seat, eyeing me like I had just won the observation of the year award.

"Damn dog," I mumbled as I readied my weapons and my pack for the 2-mile walk to the next exit. Hopefully the Flying-J wouldn't be too overrun and I could find shelter for the night.

It was true though, ever since the outbreak hit in Henry County, it had been one hardship after another. The only bit of lucky Trusty and I seemed to have at all was that we had already made it past McDonough and that most everyone on the interstate seemed to be headed South. That right there should have told me not to venture any further, but Rick always said I was the stubborn one and I wasn't about to leave without knowing if my nephew had survived.

The heat was oppressive today, and had the world been what it once was, I would have called AAA and let them sweat to death.

"Come on, Tru, keep watch." My pampered pet groaned, yawning loudly before he jumped down from the high-seat of my jeep with a huff.

"Glad to know I can count on you," I told him with a scowl. Damn dog. I'd bet he'd do it wagging his tail if Papa Hair-gel asked him too. "Traitor!"

The walk wasn't the longest one I'd ever taken but in the heat of a Georgia summer it sure felt like it. Thankfully for Trusty and me, we only spotted a few of those things here and there—about ten in all, but I only had to put down three of them. It was strange how some of them seemed to be able to spot you from miles away while others could be standing 50 feet from you and not see you if you stayed quiet.

Staying quiet was probably the first lesson I'd learned about these—whatever they were. They kind of reminded me of the some of the big cats I'd worked with in the past—responding to light and noise—and of course, the smell of blood. I'd seen too many people ripped apart because they had been so frightened they couldn't stop from screaming. So, Trusty and I…we stayed quiet.

There were quite a few more of the undead wandering around the truck stop that had to be taken out, but I was relieved that it was nothing like some the hordes that I'd seen. The store itself was rank indeed, full of gore and littered with the bodies of those infected and some that had…taken matters into their own hands.

There was absolutely no way I would be sleeping in there, but I did find plenty of bottled water, some feminine products and a 50 pound bag of dry kibble for Trusty. The Country Kitchen was a treasure trove of canned and dry goods, things that would keep for as long as I remained on the road.

For the Hell of it, I also grabbed a few cases of assorted beer and grabbed a few cartons of cigarettes—I didn't smoke or drink often but you never know when something like that could be bartered for something else.

It was when I had gone searching through the parking lot for a vehicle I could commandeer that I found my saving grace, my light at the end of the tunnel, my Eden. Hell, I pretty sure the Angels were even singing to me. So that's what I named her; Angel.

An abandoned fuel tanker sat near the edge of the pumps—obviously it had been waiting to offload. It was free of the dead and even had the keys still resting in the ignition. To my extreme disbelieve it even had a sleeper trailer. I almost wanted to laugh. This had to be some kind of a trap, but as I approached a started to load my gear, nothing happened.

With a relieved smile on my face, I held the driver door open wide, "Come on, Tru, up ya go."

He did so with a happy bark and immediately settled himself in the sleeping quarters in the back of Angel. I checked the locks on the doors and followed him moments later, happy that I'd have a relatively safe place to sleep for the night, after all—it had been awhile since that happened. We were both asleep within minutes.

Morning seemed to come all too quickly, but in light of my new ride, I couldn't really complain. I guess it was lucky that I could drive damn near anything with wheels—and something's without.

Not wanting to push my luck remaining here any longer than was absolutely necessary, I fed Tru some dry kibble and forewent feeding myself until I found a more secure location. I could already feel hunger clawing at my insides but, a few packs of crackers would have to do the trick for now.

After Tru was fed, I took him on a quick walk to relieve himself and give myself a little relief as well, before checking the fluid and other maintained on the tanker and firing her up. She started right up on the first turn of the key.

As I waited for Angel to warm up after the chilly night, I went over the drivers logs and found out that I was sitting on about 6,000 gallons of diesel fuel. That would keep me going a good long while.

I was just entering the outskirts of Atlanta when I saw a short young man or woman furiously beating their hands on the hood of a smoking Chevy Berretta. As I came closer I could tell that it was a man—young and thin—possibly Asian decent and as wary as I have always been picking up hitch-hikers, I couldn't just leave him out here.

He looked surprised and scared as I stopped beside him, not even bothering to pull off the shoulder. Trusty was barking and wagging his tale so I took that to mean that he didn't see anything wrong with this stranger.

"Need some help?" I asked, elbowing Tru out of the way so I could hang myself out the passenger side window.

The kid—Asian, like I had thought—looked nervous as he lifted his Pizza-Hut ball cap and scratched through his inky black locks. "Y-yeah, my…my car…"

Hum? Either this kid was afraid I was gonna kill him or he seriously had a problem talking to women.

I laughed lightly, "Yeah, I can see that. You need a ride somewhere?"

He breathed deeply and smiled back at me. "Yeah, my group, we uh, have a camp not too far from here. I was out, scavenging, headed to Atlanta…but my car…"

"Yeah, I can see that, too." I smiled at him. "Well, hop in and I can take you there, you'll just have to fight Trusty for shot-gun."

"The backs totally fine with me." He blurted, dragging a hand across his tired face. "I just… need, uh, to get the stuff I found."

I couldn't help but laugh loudly at him this time, he was so skittish—like a damn cat. "Well, don't take your time, you never know where those things will spring up."

He did so, a Hell of a lot faster than I thought he would, and suddenly I could see why this man/boy would be put to the task of scavenging. He was fast, light on his feet and smart, but why in the Sam Hill would his group only send one man? Perhaps it's just a small group.

"Walkers." The kid said as he hefted himself up the side of my Angel.

"What?"

"Walkers, that's what we call those dead things." He explained as he eyed Trusty apprehensively. Trusty being excited about company, made a show of himself by liking the poor kid like he was a T-bone steak.

"Hum," I hummed in thought, "I like it, it makes since anyway. So Mr—

"Glenn, just Glenn." He replied as he laughed and wiped at the slobber now coating his entire face.

"Well, Just Glenn, you can call me Birdie."

His smile widened as he took my proffered hand and gave it a firm shake. "It's nice to meet you Birdie."

"Likewise. Now, where we headin'?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*

**Warning: **This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

**Pairing: **Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

**Chapter Two**

"Are you sure the people in your group aren't gonna mind you bringing back a couple of strays?"

Glenn leaned forward between the front seats, smiling nervously. "Yeah, it shouldn't be a problem. Most of our people are really nice."

"Most?" I questioned with a cocked eyebrow, eyes focused on the road ahead.

He laughed this time. "Yeah, uh, the Dixon's don't really like anybody but our unofficial leader used to be a cop… so, there's that."

"Well, we should get along like two peas in a pod." He looked confused, so I elaborated. "My brother and best friend were both Sheriff's deputies."

"Oh." He said reaching forward to scratch behind Tru's ear. "Well, what did you do, um, before all of this?"

"I worked as an animal trainer for Bush Gardens."

He turned and looked at me with wide, excited eyes. "Really?"

I laughed at his enthusiasm. "Yeah, why is that so surprising?"

"Well," he replied, nervously scratching at his neck. "I've been there once before and… you…you just don't, uh, you look more like a, uh…"

"Like what?" I asked, amused by his shyness.

His face burned red as he looked away, "Well, I…um, usually those girls are, well…"

"Spit it out, Glenn."

"Frumpy."

"Frumpy?" I could practically feel my eyebrows jump into my hairline. "Where in the Hell did you come up with a word like that? My grandmother said frumpy."

He huffed, exasperated. "Look, I was going to say ugly but then—

"Hey, is this the turn? I blurted, cutting off what I was sure was going to be a long and stutter filled rant.

"Yeah," He said as we pulled onto the limestone road. "Does this CB work, I need to call in and get someone to meet us. You'll never get this thing up the hill and be able to turn around."

"Yeah, it should. Be my guest." I replied distractedly as I started to look for a wide enough spot to pull off what would be the 4-point turn of my life.

"This is Glenn, comeback." He said, his thumb fingering the call button of what looked like a brand new CB radio.

Nothing came back but static at first and Glenn—impressing me a little—started flipping through channels until we heard a crackly voice.

"_This is Dale, I read you, comeback." _

"Dale, I have a situation. I need you to send one of the jeeps down to the end of the road. Do you copy?"

"_Is everything alright?" _I could tell just by the tone of his voice that this was someone older. He sounded genuinely concerned for the kids safety.

"Everything's fine, I'll explain when I see you."

"_Someone will be down in a minute. Sit tight." _

"Over and out."

"Wow, you guys are pretty organized, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." He smiled smugly, but then started nervously wringing his hat again. "Though, you're pretty organized yourself. I mean, uh, we'd never even thought about high jacking a fuel truck. That was smart."

"Thanks."

"So, uh, do you think you'll stay with us, Birdie?" He asked as I swung the truck around to face the direction that we had just come from.

As we started unloading some of our combined supplies out of the sleeper, I thought about it for a second, unsure how to answer.

"I don't think so, Glenn. I'll probably stay for a few days and catch up on some sleep, but I'm looking for my brother's family. It's really the only reason I came back to Georgia."

"Oh."

Blessedly, it wasn't that long of a wait before a shitty-blue Ford appeared on the horizon.

Glenn groaned, next to me. "Man," he whined. "Why me?"

I looked from the truck to Glenn and back to the truck, not understanding what his problem was. I for one was grateful not having to walk.

Glenn waved his hand towards the blue pick-up truck and groaned again. "Daryl Dixon."

Well, that just says it all.

"Wait, you said the Dixon's didn't like anybody, right?"

"Yeah," he replied hanging his head. "Especially me."

"Why?"

He shrugged his shoulders lightly. "They're racist."

"_Wonderful," _I grumbled. Racist usually also meant sexist.

Not a second later I heard the slamming of the truck door and out jumped a good looking man maybe a couple of years older than Rick and I. He was covered in dirt and sweat and wielding a crossbow and a deep scowl.

"Come on, Chinaman, ain't got all…" He trailed off, looking over my Angel with a surprised look on his face. Then he saw me and Trusty.

"Who'er you?" Great, they send the untrusting redneck as the welcome committee.

"Name's Birdie, this is Trusty." I said a little coldly, but again, Tru started wagging his tail ran up to the man as soon as he squatted on the ground.

"Nice lookin' animal." He said, cracking a small smile. "This yer rig?"

Glenn looked between the dirty redneck and I, white as a sheet and ready to pass out but I smiled.

"Yep, found her last night. Thought I could use the diesel for something."

Daryl muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like "smart woman" before extending his hand. "I'm Daryl."

"A pleasure, I'm sure." I smiled, genuinely this time as I took his rough hand in mine.

"Well," he said, turning to Glenn. "Let's get this shit loaded, got better things to do that hang around yer ass all day." What a charmer.

Daryl insisted that Trusty and I ride up front with him, and while I hated to see Glenn riding in the back where Trusty should have been, the kid looked really relieved to be back there. Daryl must really scare the piss out of him.

The ride to the group's campsite was short but beautiful. I couldn't believe they had found a place like this. It had all the basic essentials and beautiful scenery to boot. It had an abundance of water, a good vantage point and plenty of woods to forage from.

"This place is amazing."

Daryl snorted. "Glad ya like it."

"And you don't?" I asked, swinging my head in his direction.

He grumbled something again as he patted Trusty's head. "Too many people."

I laughed. "Well, I guess you must be thrilled to see me then?"

"Least yer smart."

"Awe Daryl, don't be getting soft on me now, from what I've heard you've got quiet the bad-ass rep to think about."

He laughed this time. "Yeah, reckon so."

As soon as we pulled up I could see why Daryl would be apprehensive about staying here. There were more living people around this camp then I had seen since the outbreak hit and as soon as the truck came to a stop those milling closest immediately swarmed the truck, all talking over one another as they grilled Glenn about what had happened.

"Enough, that's enough," the old man who I recognized from the CB to be Dale spoke up, shooing his way through the crowd. "Now, who might you be?"

I smiled kindly at man dressed like he belonged on a Caribbean cruise not the apocalypse, but whatever I had planned to say was cut off by someone squealing my name.

"Aunt Birdy!" It was Carl—my nephew—my twin brother's son—barreling toward me at the speed of light. Lori was right behind him, looking shocked but happy as she too broke out in a run.

"Carl!" I screamed right back, dropping to my knees to catch him. His small body hurled into me, nearly knocking me backwards as he sniffled into my shirt.

Tears formed in my eyes as they darted around camp, looking for my brother. After not seeing him or Shane, I looked up and met Lori's tear stained face.

"Rick?" She just shook her head and mouthed "later".

I smiled through the tears as I stood, taking Carl with me and putting the heavy 12 year old on my hip like I used to when he was a baby, and he must have missed me something awful he just held tighter to my neck and wrapped his legs around my waist, letting me snuggle him without whining.

"Is Trusty here?" Carl asked, excited.

"Yeah, he's here, over by Daryl's truck with Glenn." As soon as Carl said Tru's name the old bag of bones barked and came dashing out from between people legs.

Carl squirmed in my arms, fighting to get down. "I guess I should count myself lucky that you didn't see him first, huh?" I told him and kissed his cheek before I set him on the ground. They were off like a shot, off exploring around the tents.

"Hey Lor," I smiled again, moving forward to hug her next. She squeezed me painfully as she sobbed and I could only imagine what she'd been going through since the world went to shit.

"He tried, Birdie, I swear he did. But the machines…they shut down when we lost power and…"

"Shuhh. It's alright Lor, I know you did everything you could. I'm just so happy you and Carl are safe. You know he would have wanted that more than anything."

Lori nodded still sniffling, but wiped her cheeks.

"Are you two sisters?" Dale asked, stepping forward now that our little crying fest seemed to be coming to an end.

Lori smiled brightly. "This is my husband's twin sister."

Daryl snorted from behind us. "Small fuckin' world."

Smiling at him, I nodded. "No shit."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*

**Warning: **This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

**Pairing: **Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

**Chapter Three**

Lori laughed, shaking her head at me as she pulled me along and introduced me to the rest of the group. I officially met the old town miser; Dale and Daryl's brother Merle—who seemed to take a keener interest in staring at my ass than remembering my name.

"Leave it to you to make friends with the worst two out of the group." Lori commented with a laugh and I had to agree with her. If there was a bad-boy in a hundred mile radius—I was sure to find them or vise-verse.

Then I met Andrea and Amy, sisters who had come by way of Florida like me. The younger one was a blast but Andrea had snotty bitch written all over her face.

Goodie.

Then there was the Peletier family. I loved little Sophia instantly and she reminded me intensely of me when I was her age—shy and awkward—of course I had Rick and Shane torturing the living daylights out of me at the time, so thankfully I grew out of it.

Carol was a sweet woman and you could just see that she had a good heart, it was written all over her face—I wish I could say as much for her husband Ed. While I'll admit that Merle's eyes lingered on the flesh of my derriere for much longer than was appreciated, it was obvious that he would only make a nasty comment or two and then he'd be on his way. Ed—on the other hand looked like he wanted to eat me alive—uncomfortable was an understatement.

"Stay away from that one," Lori whispered, gripping my arm firmly. "I don't know what's wrong with him but some of us think he beats on Carol."

"Noted." I told her, narrowing my eyes at said man. I didn't like that bastard one bit.

As I was introduced to the others, Jim, Jacqui, T-dog…I quickly realized that it might take me a while to remember all of their names. There were just so many of them.

"Shane's going to be so happy to see you." Lori commented as we made our way to the tent she offered to share with me.

My eyes widened. "Shane's here?"

She nodded, smiling slyly. Oh boy. "Don't look at me like that Lori. We've talked about this so many times. Shane doesn't think about me like that."

She looked taken back. "You don't understand… he was so upset."

"Well, I am one of his best friends, Lor."

She shook her head. "No…no, you really don't understand. You didn't see his face when they bombed Atlanta…he scared me so—

Her voice trailed off as the rumbling of a vehicle came to a stop in the middle of camp. Glenn jumped out, running over to me with looked like some homemade jerky. "Hey, Birdie."

"Hey—

"Hey Glenn, what the Hell you doin'?" His deep, gruff voice grabbed my ears and my attention.

"Is that—

"Uh-hun." Lori chuckled, her face the epitome of smug. Bitch knew how crazy I was about him and here she is laughing at my red face.

"Tru…go get Papa Walsh. Go get Papa Hair-gel." I coo and Lori snorts. "Go get'em."

Trusty barked loudly and took off at a sprint—at the same time Carl yelled, "Uncle Shane, look!"

My face flamed as Shane's head jerked up at Carl's voice. He smiled at my nephew and then looked utterly confused as Trusty slammed into him—paws on his chest—nearly knocking him over. At least someone—namely Trusty—hadn't lost any weight since the apocalypse began.

"Tru? Is that you boy?" Shane said, dropping to his knees. "Is yer Mama here? Where is she boy?" He asked as he rubbed Trusty ears, his eyes scanning the group until they landed on me.

I gave him a shy smile and a wave. "Hi."

"Birdy?" He asked, looking for the entire world like he had just seen a ghost as he stood and started running toward me. "Birdie!"

He slammed into me, picking me up straight of the ground and squeezing me to him.

"Birdie, Birdie, Birdie." He chanted hugging me tighter until I had little left to do but wrap my legs around his hips. I was pretty sure I resembled a tomato now, so I just burrowed my head into Shane's shoulder and prayed to God that my face would be normal when he pulled away.

"When they dropped them bombs on the city…God darlin', I thought the worst…I thought you were dead…" He was shaking, and I noticed that the shoulder of my shirt was wet. He was crying.

"Shuhh," I soothed. "I didn't even make it too Atlanta until after all that happened. I was on the other side of McDonough when the outbreak hit."

He just squeezed me tighter. "God Birdie, I thought…I thought…"

"Hey, I'm still here." I told him, running my fingers through his hair. "I'm here."

He pulled back, his dark eyes regarding my light ones before he pressed a hard kiss to my forehead and for just a moment, I thought for sure that he was going to kiss me properly.

"Uh…I hate to interrupt, but…" Dale started.

"But you will." Shane replied tersely. I couldn't blame him for getting snippy, this was kind of a bad time.

"Forgive me," Dale said looking sheepish. "I…_we_ need to gather the volunteers heading to Atlanta."

"Yeah," Shane said, removing the ball-cap from his head and running his fingers through his hair before replacing it. "Yeah, al'righ."

He turned to me then and laid a sweet kiss on my cheeks that made my face go all fire-hydrant again. "I'll catch up with you later, darlin'."

"Okay." He smiled at me—that damn cocky smile—and took off at a jog back down the hill.

Lori laughed at me, shaking her head. "Well?"

"Well, what?" I asked sweetly, feigning ignorance.

"Naw-uh," She said, shaking her head. "Don't you dare pull that with me Birdie-Lynn. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

Sighing, I turned my flushed face towards her. "So, you might have been a little right."

She scoffed, brushing her chestnut locks off her sweaty neck. "A little right?"

"Look Lor, just because he got upset seeing me doesn't me where destined—like I know you're thinking."

"Oh Lil' Bird, you just don't get it." She sighed as she walked us to our tent and then she snorted. "You're so smart and yet so…stupid, just like…" She stopped, her words choking up in her throat.

"Oh Lori…"

She shook her head, wiping her eyes and under her nose, roughly pushing the pain away. "You know, that first time Rick brought me to your Mama's Sunday night dinner…I thought you and Shane were married."

"What?" My eyes darted into my hairline as my eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"Oh yeah," She laughing slightly. "I didn't say anything until after we left…and then Rick just laughed. I mean…he laughed hard, like I had just said the stupidest thing he'd ever heard. He said you two were more likely to kill each other than you were to ever marry." She told me shaking her head at me again. "We argued for years about the subject."

"Lori," I said, laughing. "I still think you're crazy."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*

**Warning: **This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

**Pairing: **Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

**~Author's Note~**

Thank you DamonSalvatorelover789~ You asked a really important question and one that I should have answered on my own long before now.

Shane is a good guy in this fiction and Lori (will remain a bitch at times) will not be bumping uglies with Shane. Shane is totally with Birdie in this. I can't stand cheaters and that kind of constant angst would drive me nuts.

For those of you looking for that kind of drama there will be a little with Andrea in later chapters (Think of her as the All Hated Lori) for this guys. I will not be kind to her in this. Well, I don't think I'd be kind to her in anything…

Anywhooo, rant—rant, thank you DamonSalvatorelover789, iLoveBeckAndAvan, gypsykl79 and all those of you that have favorite and who are following this story.

LittleRin26

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Hours later, when everything was settled, the entire camp seemed to be celebrating all of the supplies I had brought with me. I didn't care. My brother might have been gone, but Lori—who had become my sister—along with my nephew and Shane were here…nothing but Rick coming back from the dead could have been better.

Everyone had gathered around the campfire—excluding those who would be finding their way back to Atlanta tomorrow. Lori, Carl and Trusty were settled, snuggling under a quilt Clara Grimes—my grandmother—handmade when Carl was born, and I had to sneaky suspicion the Carl was giving him scraps under the blanket. It would be the only way Trusty would stay away from Shane like this. Sometimes I wondered why Rick even bought me the dog—he was clearly a traitor when it came to Shane.

Shane was next to me on the ground, both of us under a wool blanket that looked like it came from an Army Surplus store. It itched like Hell but…I couldn't exactly complain, Shane was like a damned heater, always had been.

After dinner had been eaten, Shane had to take first watch, so I hunkered down in bed with Carl, Trusty at the foot of the cot. It was the best sleep I had in a good long while. No nightmares, no panic…just my baby nephew in my arms.

The next morning was something surreal. At first, I really thought I had dreamed the whole thing, but as I looked around, it became apparent—from the clothes of my nephew sprawled around the tent and the smell of Lori's deodorant—that I was wide awake and _this_…apparently was heaven.

I made my way into camp where the sweet Carol was making a breakfast of chocolate pancakes—helped by my flour and canned chocolate. Everyone was all smiles, except for Amy and Miranda—but, I guess if my family was in Atlanta it would be a little worried too.

A little later I was trying to find out where Trusty had run off too, I suspected he was with Shane or Carl…but I hated not knowing where he was.

"Hey beautiful," I nearly jumped out of my skin as Shane breath whispered against my neck. "Sleep well?"

I smiled stupidly, "Yeah, really well. You?" I asked as I turned around to face him.

He smiled, his dark eyes lighting up with his smile. "A lot better knowin' yer safe."

"Is that right?"

That cocky grin appeared on his face just as fast, before he turned serious. "Look, I ain't got watch tonight, can we talk?"

"Of course." I told him, my face burning with embarrassment.

Why did I let him do this to me? At the age of 35 I had been on plenty of dates, and had several lasting relationships—I even had a guy ask me to marry him—but never, never had any of them made me blush the way Shane could. Perhaps that why none of those previous relationships ever panned out?

I wasn't stupid or naïve—I had known since I was 16 years old that I was in-love with Shane Walsh. I'd of had to be deaf, blind and dumb _**not**_ to notice. But ever since we were of age to start noticing the opposite sex—Shane noticed every girl with a beating heart _**except**_ me, and it…hurt.

So, I had given up. I never let on to how I felt about him, trying my best not to show the hurt every time he and Rick invited me to the movies with them and Shane brought along some beautiful blonde that I could never live up to. But I never…not in all the time I spent with Patrick (lasting relationship # 1) or Jason (lasting relationship # 2) had I ever really felt that spark, that underlying fire that I felt every time Shane was near. For the longest time, I had given up on relationships entirely—there was no point.

**But…**here he was _now_, and hinting at something more than friendship.

To sum everything up: I was terrified.

"Birdie!"

My head snapped up at the desperate shout of my name, looking into concerned dark eyes. Shane's warm hands were resting on my shoulder, lightly shaking me in a rocking motion.

"What the Hell, Birdie…you just stopped talkin', you alright, darlin'?"

Blinking up at him stupidly, I stuttered out an apology. "Sorry. I-I, uh, guess I spaced out for a minute or…two."

He breathed a sigh of relief, the tension unfurling from his shoulders as the ass chuckled at me. "Damn, I hope you were thinkin' of somethin' good, 'cause you got the dreamiest look on yer face for a second."

Smirking a little, I eyed him with much more courage than I actually had. "Wouldn't you like ta'know?"

With his cocky smirk back in place, he leered at me. "Ya'know it, darlin'. Anyway, I gotta run—gotta go for a water run. Sure ya don't wanna come with?"

I shook my head, frowning slightly because I really did want to go, but I had other obligations in the way of a tightly-wound 12 year old who forced me into a game of go-fish.

"Naw," I told him, smiling at him teasingly. "I've got a hot date."

He laughed loudly at this and shook his own head in amusement. "Sure ya do. Do I need to chaperone this _**hot**_ date?"

I smacked his arm playfully. "I'll have you know that Carl Grimes is the cream of the crop 'round these parts."

"Okay, okay…" He conceded, his face still tickled with mirth. "I'll let you get to yer date… just save me a seat later, alright?"

"You got it, cowboy."

Something in his face changed with my teasing jab and his face turned serious. It darkened with an emotion I hadn't ever seen on his face before as he strolled forward.

"Yer playin' with fire, Birdie," he told me gruffly, his voice husky as he reached and roughly grasped my hip with his hand. "and yer gonna get burned."

Shane's face loomed over mine, desire obvious in his posture as he closed the distance between us with a single tug. His deep brown eyes lingered at mine and then flickered down to my lips. My tongue flicked out of its own accord to moisten them—my mouth had never felt dryer.

Taking the invitation, he leaned forward, his intent to kiss me obvious—until Carl slammed into my side, hugging my leg as he shrieked "Save me!"

Trusty came barreling in behind him, barking once and nearly knocking us both down when he bumbled between my legs. Stupid dog!

With my heart thudding wildly in my chest, I realized that I was probably close to having a heart-attack. Shane looked unaffected—other than the obvious frustration with my nephew—but he smiled nonetheless.

"And who is your Aunt Birdie savin' ya from." Shane chuckled, ruffling Carl's hair as he spoke.

"Mom," he gasped, slightly winded as he pulled himself further behind my legs. "She wants to cut my hair."

Looking up, I did indeed see my sister-in-law brandishing a pair of sheers and looking mighty pissed off about having to chase down her wild boy.

Shane just looked at me, his smile not wavering as he shook his head, muttering to himself and wandered back towards his jeep—I bet if I were a fly on his shoulder I would be getting a good lesson in foul language.

"Carl, my boy, you are in serious trouble." I joked, petting his head.

Several hours later after the promised game of go-fish, I chuckled distractedly scratching at Tru's neck as I watched every grimace my nephew made as he sat between Lori's legs—getting his hair cut.

Shane plopped down next to me a few minutes later—also eating up the sour faces Carl was pulling as he wiggled and winced with every snip of Lori's scissors.

I cut my eyes to Shane to find him already looking at me—grinning like the cat who ate the canary. We were obviously thinking the same thing—Payback's a bitch!


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*

**Warning: **This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

**Pairing: **Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

**Chapter Five**

"Stop moving," Lori told Carl as she popped him in the head with her comb for the thousandth time.

Shane chucked next to me, running a greasy rag over the barrel of his shotgun, again! "You think that's bad? Wait until you start shavin', you'll be wishin' for one of your Mama's haircuts."

Carl scoffed, clearly unimpressed with Shane's logic. "I'll believe that when I see it."

"Carl, stop taking after your Aunt Birdie so much, it ain't healthy." I told him, sniggering when he childishly stuck his tongue out at me.

"Tell ya what," Shane said, resting his shotgun on the side of my chair before leaning forward and resting his elbows on his thighs. "Get through this with some manly dignity and tomorrow I'll teach ya somethin' special."

"You better take him up on it, Carl. Your Uncle Shane's head is full of worthless knowledge I would have killed to have at your age." I told him, seeing the spark in his eyes as I ducked the mock swipe from Shane.

"Worthless!" He cried indignantly and Trusty groaned, rolling onto his back as he desperately tried to catch Shane's attention.

Lori—the poor woman—had to put down her scissors she was laughing so hard. Carl was snorting it up as he watched Shane—badly—pretended to pout like a little girl.

"Ya wound me, darlin'." He said as if he were hurt. "It's alright, I was gonna see if you wanted to learn how to catch frogs with us men…but now…" he trailed off.

"I've caught a frog." Carl stated proudly, puffing out his chest while Lori and I tried not to laugh at the fact that his cheeks seemed to puff out more than his scrawny frame. God, he looked so much like Rick at that age.

"I said frog**s**. Plural. It's an art form, my friend. It's not to be taken lightly." Shane said, smiling. He was probably thinking back to when he and Rick would come home, covered in mud, spouting off heroic tales of their adventures. Mama would nearly have a heart-attack every single time.

"There are ways and means few know about. Well, I'm willin' to share my secrets but only with you since your aunt's nothin' but a traitor." Shane continued but Carl was looking back at Lori.

I gasped in mock hurt. "Oh no, Lori, there not gonna let me catch slimy reptiles with them!"

Lori snorted but Shane frowned and again took a swat at my head, "Shut-up, you."

He turned back to Carl, "It's a onetime opportunity."

Carl looked at Shane, confusion furrowing his brows as he squinted against the sun. "Why do we need frog**s**, plural?"

Shane looked from Lori to me, a mischievous smile playing on his lips and I had a bad feeling I knew where this was going. "Ever eat frog legs?"

Carl's face soured, his nose twisting up disgustedly. I'm sure my face mirrored his perfectly. "Ew!"

"No, yum!" Shane said, making that slurping sound he knew I hated. My body shuddered instinctively and Shane chuckled and threw and arm over my shoulder.

"No, he's right. Ew." Lori said, her own face looking a little green.

Shane smirked at our discomfort as he drug me—and my chair, as my ass was still attached to it—closer to him. "We get down to that last can of beans you're gonna be lovin' those frog legs, darlin'."

"_Oh Shane, these frog legs were just delicious. You're my hero, may I please have another?" _Shane mocked in a girly voice and this time it was my turn to swat at him. I hit him in the stomach and he grunted through a laugh.

"Pigs'll fly before I ever sound like that." I told him, trying not to smile though I could feel that I was doing a very bad job at it.

Shane shook his head at Carl and winked, "Don't listen to'em, man. We'll be hero's."

It had to have been around 3:00 PM when we all heard it. The loud blurring of a car alarm coming towards us fast, I had no idea what might make that sound—other than a car alarm.

Everyone was running toward the R.V. from different directions, all curious to see what the commotion was all about and Trusty was barkin' up a storm.

"Shut-up, Trusty." I scolded, swatting his backside lightly. He barked once more and then fell silent, but his the fur on the back of his neck remained up as he growled.

Shane jumped to his feet, all playfulness put aside as he grabbed the shotgun that was still resting beside me. "Talk to me, Dale."

"Can't tell just yet." He replied, squinting into his binoculars to look down the road.

Amy looked a frantic mess as she ran up to the motorhome, her chest heaving with every breath. "Is it them? Are they back?"

The old man let out a small chuckle and muttered, "I'll be damned."

Lori, who was now hanging onto Carl like he might disappear, put her hand up to shield her eyes and asked, "What is it?"

"Stolen car would be my guess." He said, looking down at us, his eyes wide with disbelief and a hint of amusement.

"Who would be such a dumbass?" I asked, immediately regretting it when Lori pinched my behind and looked pointedly down at Carl. Oops.

"Ow," I grumbled, using my hand to rub the sore spot.

"Shane can kiss it better later." Lori said with a half-smirk.

"Lori!" I admonished but she just chuckled and looked down again; she was covering Carl's ears with her hands.

"Why you Bi-."

And Lori suddenly let go of his ears. Thankfully, I was able to cut myself off before "tch" could tack itself onto that very inappropriate word, and thankfully Shane was none the wiser to what Lori had said. If that smug bastard got wind of it, he'd never let me live down how red my face had suddenly become.

Lori and I stood with Carl sandwiched between us—a wall of Mama-Bear security protecting him when the red Dodge Charger roared into camp, the alarm still blaring.

Collectively, we all sighed in relief when Glenn's head popped out from the driver side, smiling a huge smile while Dale, Shane and Jim ran towards him.

"Turn that damn thing off!" Dale yelled.

Finally realizing that this wasn't the time to be smug, Glenn paled and threw up his hands. "I don't know how!"

"Pop the hood," Shane growled, shoving past Amy as she shrieked question after question at Glenn, begging to know the details of her sister's whereabouts.

After the hood was popped, and Jim disconnected the battery, Shane turned a shrinking glare on Glenn. "Are you crazy drivin' this thing up here? You tryin' to draw every walker for miles?"

"Shane!" Both Lori and I snapped, both unhappy with the way he was scaring the kid.

Shane turned to me, an apologetic smile on his face as he pulled off his cap and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Is everyone alright?" Dale asked, resting a hand on Glenn's shoulder. It was obvious the kid was beat and had clearly been through Hell.

"Yeah…

I quit paying attention as the white Fernac truck pulled in behind Glenn's get-away car and our group started to spill out from the back. Andrea was the first and was met by a crushing hug from Amy.

But the world really died away as I found familiar ice-blue eyes staring back at me—identical to my own and Carl yelled "Dad!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*

**Warning: **This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

**Pairing: **Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

**Chapter Six**

"Ricky!" I shouted, my feet eating up the ground between us, Trusty hot on my heels. "Ricky!"

He and Carl gave a small "oompf" of protest as I plowed into them, squishing Carl between us in a trifecta of love.

"My boy," Rick kept chanting as he alternating kissing his wife, his son, me…

Looking back behind me with tears in my eyes, I smiled widely at Shane, but he didn't return the gesture. He had gone pale as he stood there, staring at Rick in disbelief and immediately I knew something was wrong.

Lori had told me how badly Shane had beaten himself up about leaving my brother in that hospital, completely believing he was dead and now, I sure he felt worse.

Kissing my brother once on the forehead, I got up and left him to get reacquainted with his family. Shane's eyes didn't leave Rick as I approached and he didn't budge when I tried tugging on his arm.

Fed up with this statue business, I pinched his nipple.

His eyes darted down to mine, darkening quickly as he looked at me with astonishment. Well, _**that**_ certainly woke him up.

He cleared his throat awkwardly as he shifted on his feet, and I prayed to every deity known to man that I wouldn't let my eyes linger past his waist—at the obvious erection blooming in his pants.

"What—

"Come on," I told him with a sweet smile. "Let's go grab mine and Carl's things. You're gonna have a couple of houseguests tonight, think you can handle it?"

With that, the cocky smirk slid back into place and he grabbed my hand as he swaggered back to the Grimes' tent. "You sleepin' in my tent, I definitely think I can handle that, darlin'."

"And Carl. Don't forget Carl." I added cheekily, my own smirk becoming visible. "It'll be like old times, right partner?"

Shane winced a little, any naughty thoughts he was having clearly going up in smoke. "Yeah, yeah," he grumbled. "Just like old times."

After collecting the cot and bedding that Carl and I had been sharing we made quick work of getting it set up in the next tent over. A frown crossed my face as I looked at the distance between Shane's tent and what would become the steaming tent of love and loud moaning. Unfortunately, I had been in Rick's house several times after a night on the town, before Carl was born…and Lori was a screamer, and just as unfortunate, my straight laced brother had a filthy mouth.

Thinking about it made me shudder.

Shane laughed at my disgusted face, "What's with the face, darlin'?"

"Just wondering if Jacqui or Dale would lend me one of their Walkman's for the evening." I said with another shudder.

He laughed harder and I smacked his arm. "Awe, come on now, Birdie, it's not like you've never heard it before."

"It's not me I'm worried about, I really don't want my poor nephew to be scarred for life."

Shane shrugged. "It's not like he's never heard it either, the walls in that house are thin."

"You don't have to tell me." I said quickly, raising a hand to stop any other cute comments he felt like saying. I really did not want my brother's sex life to be any more of a conversation than it had to be. "But Rick's had an interesting ride…he's bound to be…uh, ya'know." I said blushing.

Shane catching my blush, caressed my scalding cheek. "Loud? Forceful?" He said slowly, pronouncing each word with an even bigger smirk. The bastard knew he was making me uncomfortable as Hell.

"Talkative?"

"Yes, alright!" I yelled, smacking him in the chest several time with both hands.

He grabbed both of my wrists and continued to laugh, taunting me. "Awe, is my Lil' Bird getting shy on me?" He asked playfully. "What? Don't you wanna hear where big brother's gonna put it when he and Lor…"

"Alright, alright, I give." I said, finally laughing along with him as he hugged me to him.

"Birdie?" He questioned, his voice suddenly turning serious again. "I really did think he was dead. I would have never left if I had thought… Ya gotta believe me."

I pulled back to look up at him and watched with a breaking heart as fresh tears spilled from his eyes. How could he think like that?

"Shane," I whispered. "You love Rick; there was never any doubt about that. I know you'd have done anything to keep him safe. You didn't leave him there on purpose. Lori,…she told me that you did what you had to do to keep her and Carl safe. I never got a chance to thank you for it. So, thank you."

He nodded, shutting his eyes as a few more tears escaped and trickled down his face. "He's not the only one I love, Birdy."

"I know, Shane." I told him, popping up on my toes and I giving his lips a small kiss. It was light and quick, nothing sexual or even sensual, just a little reminder that I was here for him and that I cared.

He shook his head. "No Birdie, I don't think ya do." He said and my heart stuttered in my chest. Then he smiled that cocky-damned smile. "But we'll talk about that later."

"Alright," I said forcefully. "Enough of this sad bullshit. Come on, let's go see a man about a Walkman."

"Yes ma'am." Shane saluted, laughing at me. Before I could sass him back or protest anything, he hoisted me up over his shoulder like a sack of flour and started for Dale's R.V., laughing off my shouts to put me down.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*

**Warning: **This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

**Pairing: **Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

**~Authors Note~**

Just wanted to thank all of you for your support whether you've reviewed, are following or have favorited this story. Once again thank you DamonSalvatorelover789,iLoveBeckAndAvan, gypsykl79 and Leyshla Gisel for reviewing.

**Chapter Seven**

Later that evening Rick regaled us with his story of waking up in the hospital and the quest to find his family.

Shane sat beside me, his thick arm draped around me as we cuddled with Trusty under the army blanket. He was quieter than usual but he had a smile on his face that lit up his dark eyes like sun—and that was alright with me and it made me smile too.

"Mom said you were dead." Carl said, his confused eyes looking to Lori for answers.

"And she had every right to believe that. Don't you doubt that for a minute." Rick replied, holding Carl closer to his chest.

Shane tensed beside me and I knew he was playing the blame game in his head again. Faster than a snake, I pinched the inside of his thigh and he growled.

"Ya gotta quit doin' that, Birdie."

My eyes narrowed in confusion, not understanding why he got so upset about a little pinch—Hell, I know I've pinched him harder than that in the past, but as I tilted my head upward to look at him—it dawned on me.

His eyes were boring into mine as he regarded me with a look of desire, nearly setting me on fire where I sat. I gulped heavily and nodded, promising without words to behave. I had no doubts that if I prodded the bull too much I was gonna get a lesson after lights out that I'd never forget—which would be swell if we weren't playing baby-sitter this evening.

Trying to ignore the tingling sensation growing in my abdomen, I scratched behind Trusty's ears, my eyes darting around the camp fire for a distraction and met my brother's gaze as he stared back at me with wide eyes. He looked down to Lori who was also staring with a sly smirk on her face and then back to me, then Shane, then me, before smiling widely and shaking his head.

Hmm…something tells me my brother just lost a bet of some kind.

"Shane," Rick said suddenly, making me jump. "I can't thank you enough for getting my family out and to safety. I owe you." He said, his eyes pointedly jumping to me before resting back on Shane.

Shane smiled next to me, a truly genuine smile as he caught on to Rick's meaning. Rick wasn't gonna make a big deal out of the flirty eyes Shane had been giving me—thank God—I don't think I could handle big brother acting like, well, a big brother this late in the game.

Suddenly the sound of wood cracking and fire popping startled me into looking towards the Peletier family fire—where Ed had just dropped another log. That fat pig of a man knew the rules—and yet, here he was breaking them and practically rubbing it in Shane's face.

"You wanna rethink that log, Ed?" He asked calmly, as he rubbed my arm soothingly. Trusty's head popped up at suddenly different tone in Shane's voice but he didn't growl or get up.

"It's cold," Ed replied, shrugging his shoulders as if to say "That's that."

My blood boiled as I watched him reclaim his comfortable camping chair while his wife and daughter sat on the cold ground. It was freezing out here tonight. So cold in fact, that almost all of us had on some kind of winter clothes and were wrapped in several blankets. Hell, even Shane was wearing a jacket and that jack-ass never got cold.

"_What a pig," _I growled quietly next to Shane, itching to get up and give Ed Peletier a piece of my mind. If he wasn't careful, he'd get the whole thing.

"You know the rules. We keep are fires low so we can't be seen from a distance," Shane said with a little more bite.

Ed scoffed, kicking at the rocks around their pit, "Why don't you mind yer own business for once?" Trusty growled at his threatening tone and I had to grab on to his collar before he made a nice snack out of Ed—You don't mess with Papa Walsh or Mama Grimes, Trusty will bite you.

Shane—however—lost his patience with that snotty remark and jumped to his feet, striding over to Ed with purpose. Lori and Rick looked to me like "Why didn't you grab him?" and I just shrugged, feigning innocence. Why would I stop him from scaring the shit out of a chauvinistic pig?

The conversation was lost to me as Dale spoke up about Daryl Dixon and his brother, but I winced when I saw Carol rise and pick up the warm log bare-handed, before going back to sit by Ed dejectedly.

Shane looked about as pissed off as I'd ever seen him when he huffed back down into the dirt beside me, his eyes cold and narrowed and looking straight at Ed.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see my brother getting a bit more—snuggly—with Lori and I figured it was about that time.

"Hey Ricky," I said, waiting for him to meet my eye. "Shane and I were hoping Carl would bunk with us tonight. What do ya say?"

Rick chuckled, throwing me a pointed glare as Lori blushed and tucked her head into Rick's shoulder. Carl on the other hand, had a different plan entirely.

"But Mom," he whined, giving Rick the dreaded puppy eyes. "Dad just got here—

"Dale let me borrow the Walkman…" I sang, taunting the small child with the promise of music that Lori said would rot his brain." He didn't look quite ready to take the bait so I added… "And…I found Slipnot Cd in the semi."

"Yes!" He hissed, doing a little happy dance in his mother's lap, causing Rick and Shane to laugh while Lori glared daggers at me.

"Hey," I said defending myself. "Shane's tent is right next to yours, I needed something loud enough."

"Loud enough for what?" Carl asked.

"Nothing." Rick, Lori and I all replied at once and the rest of our fireside companions laughed at the failed attempt to brush off my nephew's question.

Lori continued to glare, but suddenly a smile worked its way onto her face. Uh-oh. "You sure it'll be loud enough with you two right there?"

My mouth fell open in surprised and Shane coughed loudly, choking on his water that he had been trying to sip on.

"Lori!" Rick scolded, swatting at her leg.

She just shrugged not looking sorry in the least.

"Huh?" Carl said, looking confused, before he gave up and shook his head. "Adults are weird."

Of course that sent the rest of back into another round of laughter.

Blushing like a mad woman, I stood up, brushing the debris from my backside as I spoke. "And that's the Bat signal to call it a night. Come on, Little Grimes, let's go tell **not **ghost stories. Come on, Tru."

Trusty groaned and stood with me as did Carl, still shaking his head but making his way towards me and the protection of my flashlight.

Shane's hand gripped mine from where he still sat on the ground. "I'll see you in a little while, alright?"

My face grew hotter as I nodded shyly. "Yeah."

"Goodnight," Lori called sarcastically as Carl and I made our way towards her.

So, good-naturedly as I was, I popped her on the back of the head as I passed, calling out over my shoulder. "Not one more word."


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*

**Warning: **This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

**Pairing: **Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

**Chapter Eight**

Several hours later—thankfully, after Carl had fallen asleep—his headphones still blaring in his ears—the groaning started, both mine and my brothers but for two very different reasons.

"_Oh Lori, that feels so good baby, so wet—_

"Noooo," I groaned, slipping out from beside Carl as Shane started laughing lowly.

"Shut-up you big fool and move over." I growled. "Your snores will drown out anything."

He was still laughing but he did as I said and moved over enough to give me room to snuggle down next to him. It was a tight squeeze and had it not been for my sweet, sleeping little nephew in the next cot I wouldn't have minded in the slightest. But—as it were—feeling Shane's naked chest under my fingers was too much a temptation.

_Be good, Birdie. Please God, be a good girl._

"So," Shane whispered, his hands playing with the hem of my shirt sleeves. "Now that you've got me in this bed…all to yourself…what do ya plan on doin' with me?"

"Nothing, you brayin' jack-ass, Carl's right next to us!" I hissed, smacking him good.

I couldn't see his face in the darkness, but I could practically feel him smile anyway.

"Oh," he said huskily. "And if he wasn't?"

Well that damn sure shut me up. What the Hell could I say to that?

"Ummm…well, I guess I, uh…"

He laughed, "Birdie, stop it. I'm only messin' with you, girl."

"Oh," I said softly, feeling worse than before. Damn Lori to Hell for putting those ideas in my head. Now I've made an ass out of myself and he didn't feel that way after all. I'd been blushing and flirting with him all damn day. Ugh!

"Um…" I stuttered, trying to get out of this uncomfortable situation and back over to my nephew where I knew it was safe. "I'll just…"

A strong hand gripped the back of my neck, halting my retreat. "Birdie, I didn't mean it like that. I was just…"

"No!" I nearly shouted, not wanting him to apologize because I was a big cry-baby and got the wrong idea. "You don't have to explain."

"Goddamnit, Birdie…just shut-up for a minute," he growled, pulling me closer.

He took a deep breath, his chest stuttering as he breathed. "Earlier today, I told you I wanted to talk to you tonight. And while this wasn't exactly the setting I had planned, I gotta get this off my chest."

"Alright," I replied nervously, not having a clue in the slightest as to what he might tell me that had him so nervous. Shane Walsh didn't get nervous in these situations.

"I love ya, Birdie." He blurted.

I smiled at the big idiot. "I know you do, Shane. I love you, too."

"No," he said lowly. "No, I'm _**in-love**_ with you. Have been since we were kids."

My mouth fell open as I tried to process what he'd just told me. **Shane's** in-love with me. Shane's **in-love** with me. Shane's in-love with **me**!

"Holy shit!" I exclaimed, a lot louder than I meant to. Jesus, Dale probably heard that.

"Not exactly the reaction I was lookin' for here, darlin'." Shane said with a chuckle, his hand returning to stroke my arm.

"I just…I need a minute."

After picking my jaw up off the tent floor, my mind flew into a flash of memories—starting from the day I met Shane—up until I moved to Florida.

"That's not possible," I said finally, and without looking I knew Shane was either confused or angry.

"Excuse me!" Angry it is.

"I just…you never looked at me like _**that**_, Shane. Never, not once…it was always the pretty blonde from the track team or one of the cheerleaders…never me."

"Oh my Lil' Bird, ya just don't know how much I did."

"Then why?"

He shrugged. "At first, I had no clue what was wrong with me—I got jealous over the stupidest things; like when Tommy Burnett helped you pick up your books in the hallway in sixth grade. Then, when I realized how I felt, I was afraid of Rick."

I snorted, "Afraid of Rick?"

He chuckled, "Yeah, I was afraid if somethin' went wrong that he'd never speak to me again. You and your folks were so good to me after Mama died…I just didn't wanna mess that up. Then, you left for school and we both got jobs…but this last time when you left to work at Bush Gardens…I don't know, it killed me to see ya leave. When the outbreak hit…God, Birdie ya just don't even know."

"Lori said you got real upset when they bombed Atlanta." I said, nodding into his chest.

"I think she was being polite when she said upset. I fuckin' lost it Birdie—lost my cool in front of her and Carl—screamin' and throwin' shit like I lost my fuckin' mind."

"Shane—

"No, I promised myself after that…if I ever found you again, if you were still alive there'd be no more runnin', no more denyin' and that I'd make you mine."

"Oh, is that all, caveman?"

He never answered me, but when his warm lips met mine in our first real kiss, I didn't want him to stay anything. His lips were so soft and demanding as he took control, parting my lips with ease and slipping his tongue inside for a taste.

We both groaned as hands started to wander, my fingers finding the rippling muscles of his chest as they ghosted up to his neck to pull him tighter to me.

"_OH GOD RICK!" _

We broke apart—the mood thoroughly ruined with Lori's climax—and laughed.

"God," I groaned. "I cannot believe we just had this conversation while they were carrying on like that."

Shane laughed, kissing me sweetly before resting his forehead on mine. "At least I distracted you through most of it."

"Yeah," I chuckled. "You did indeed."

"Wanna get distracted some more."

I swatted at him in the dark, but made contact with something as he grumbled ow.

"I really do love you, Birdie."

"Well that's good," I commented offhandedly. "Because I'm **in-love** with you too."

**~Author's Note~**

Well, is everyone happy now...The Shane Train of Love has arrived )

God, I turn into an idiot after dark...


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*

**Warning: **This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

**Pairing: **Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

**Chapter Nine**

Morning came a lot faster than I wanted. The very idea of getting out of this bed was torturous. I was warm, safe and I even found Shane's snoring comforting.

Alright, I'm officially losing my mind if I think that Shane sawing-logs is comforting.

With a little groan of protest, I stretched, my back popping in several places…and then I felt _it. _It was a big **it**, too. Holy Shit—how had I never noticed _**that**_ before. It's not like this is the first time Shane and I had shared sleeping space before. Almost any family vacation we'd ever been on had me sleeping next to him.

My, oh my, Mr. Walsh was packing some heat…down there.

Shane chucked, clearly feeling me tense up. "He was just sayin' mornin' is all." He rasped, wrapping his arms tighter around me.

"Well then," I smiled. "Good mornin' to you, too." I said, craning my neck to kiss him.

I had just meant it to be a good morning peck, but Shane had other ideas. He quickly took control of the kiss—and just like last night, he parted my lips with ease—morning breath be damned. I moaned loudly into his mouth, forgetting for a moment where I was and that this was hardly a place of privacy. Shane must have forgotten too, because without word he flipped us so that his powerful frame was cradled between my thighs, groaning harshly as he rocked into me.

"Whoa!" I heard the familiar voice of my nephew gasp.

Shane turned quickly, leveling Carl with a wide-eyed look, but then laughed as he saw what my knuckle-headed nephew was doing. He had one hand covering both eyes, but the little sucker had his index finger and his middle finger widely spread, obviously still peeking.

"Carl." Shane groused, breaking the boy out of his stupor.

Carl jumped, yelled something about having to bleach his brain and took off running.

Shane chuckled, turning back to me and resting his forehead against mine. "I guess that's our cue, darlin'."

I huffed, pouting out my lower lip. "Damn boy's better than a chastity belt."

He laughed, leaning down to capture my lips in another searing kiss, tugging on the same lower lip that I had been pouting with between his teeth and biting gently.

"Oh God," I moaned, bucking my hips upwards.

"And that's definitely the cue to get up," Shane said. "Hearing Rick and Lori goin' at it like a pack of wild dogs is one thing, seein' his Aunt Birdie and Uncle Shane gettin' it on is another."

"Party pooper."

"Don't be sassin' at me Birdie-Lynn or I'll bite ya somewhere else." He said, pointing a non-threating finger in my face.

"Promises, promises."

He sighed, shaking his head before pulling himself up and off of me. "What am I gonna do with you, woman?"

God, I loved watching him with no shirt…it had been awhile since I had seen anything so tempting. In fact, I don't think I'd seen Shane shirtless since before he graduated from the Academy. As my eyes raked over the taught muscles of his arms, stomach and chest…I finally saw why.

"Oh my God, Shane!" I nearly yelled as I jumped from the cot and over to where he was pulling a pair of cargo pants up his thick legs.

He stopped what he was doing, not bothering to button his pants as I fingered the beautiful lettering that decorated his left peck, right over his heart.

"When did you get this?" I asked, surprised to see Lil' Bird immortalized forever on his skin.

He smiled shyly, "Right before I graduated the Academy. Rick knows I got a tattoo but he's never seen it, which was damn hard when I had to shower at the station." He said with a laugh. "I guess I don't got to hide it anymore."

Leaning up, I kissed his lips sweetly before whispering. "I guess not."

It was a tad awkward when Shane and I exited his tent at the same time my brother came stumbling out of his, stretching a popping his back with that post-coital glow leaking from his pores.

He looked at me and nodded politely at Shane and mumbled "Mornin' Reverend," before he smiled and immaturely wrapped his hand around his index finger and rhythmically pulled it in and out—in a gesture I remembered from our childhood.

"Ricky," I warned, wishing I had something in my hands to throw at him.

He laughed as Shane flipped him the bird, pulling me towards the campfire where Lori was making breakfast. His arm was wrapped around my waist, making his claim on me apparent to whoever was watching as his hand slid lower, dangerously close to my butt.

Breakfast was pretty quiet—apparently Dixon hadn't returned from his hunt yet, so the treat of him slitting all of throats in our sleep was averted for the time being.

Lori wore the same stupid smirk as Rick—still basking in her own post-coital bliss—I wanted to murder both of them, the stingy bastards. I hadn't had sex in at least two years and well…Shane was making it so much worse.

"Are you and Uncle Shane gonna get married now?" Carl asked suddenly, causing all of us to look at him with wide eyed stares.

"Why would you ask that?" I asked, still choking around my coffee that had slid down the wrong pipe at Carl's crazy question.

"Well," he started, playing with the hem of his jeans, not looking anyone in the eye—which meant he wasn't sure if he should say what he was about to or not. "I saw Uncle Shane on top of you and you were kissing…

Lori coughed, glaring daggers through my skull and I thought for sure I was gonna hurl.

"Carl," Lori said in warning, but my awesome little nephew had different plans for Mama-Bear.

"What," he said defensively. "I see you and Dad do it all the time."

That time I was sure a little coffee came out my nose as I barked out a laugh. Lori turned pale and Rick looked like he was about to fall out of his chair he was shaking so hard with repressed laughter—of course he would think this is funny.

I smiled slyly at the little man, "Oh, is that the only reason?"

Again, Carl looked like he was unsure about what he was about to say, but shrugged. "Well, I saw what was in that blue box in—

Carl was suddenly cut off when Shane reached over, nearly spilling his plate of heated beans as clasped his big hand over my nephews face. "Quiet mouse, Carl. Quiet mouse."

This time Lori cracked up, snorting and stomping her feet into the gravel and it was my brother who went deathly pale and silent, Shane looked nearly as bad. What the Hell was wrong with my family? Apparently, I had missed something important.

**~Author's Note~**

Well, what do ya'll think could be in the blue box...?

Triva Question: Does anyone know what **Quiet Mouse** means?

As always a big thanks to all who have favorited and who are following this story.

And an even bigger thank you to those who have reviewed **ThereAre666Ways2Love**, **deelove1**, **iLoveBeckAndEvan**, and **Leyshla Gisel**.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*

**Warning: **This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

**Pairing: **Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

**Chapter Ten**

The day progressed lazily and before I knew it, it was midday. Rick was happily chatting up Carol who had sweetly washed his uniform and was in the middle of pressing it for him. Seriously, who the Hell irons in the middle of the apocalypse?

At first, it seemed like today was gonna be a good one and it probably would have been too if the screams of my nephew didn't tear through camp like death bell tolling. It only got worse after that.

As we approached the edge of camp, Carl, Sophia and Eliza came running back towards, fear evident in their eyes. After Rick had pressed Carl into Lori's arms and demanded that she, Carol and the kids return to camp the rest of us headed up the ridge to investigate what had scarred them so badly.

Shane immediately checked the pistol at his hip before pressing into my hands and telling me to keep my eyes open. Thank you, genius.

The sight that met us when we crested the ridge was one I was sure I'd never forget. A walker in a blue suit…bloody and missing part of its face was greedily chewing up the intestines of a small deer.

"Oh God," I groaned, feeling the bile rising up in my throat as the smell hit me. God, it was so disgusting.

After Dale had taken care of the threat, and had commented that he had never seen a walker this close to camp before, I noticed the brightly colored fletching on the three bolts that had more than likely killed this animal. They were Daryl's…I was sure of it.

Not more than a few seconds later…my suspicions were confirmed as the man himself came stomping out of the woods, cursing up a storm when he noticed that the neck and insides were missing out of his prize.

He seemed tense and already more than willing to pick a fight—as was clearly stated when he started in on Dale, but he stopped when he saw me.

"'S'up, Birdie," He said politely with a terse nod.

Ricky had humor shinning in his blue eyes as he regarded Shane when he pulled me back against his chest and glared at Dixon. Like I said, he was a caveman.

"What do ya think, think we could cut 'round this chewed up part?" He asked looking up at Shane from his kneeling position.

Okay, I've never considered myself one of those squeamish girls…but the thought of eating anything that a walker had touched sent my stomach rebelling inside my body.

"Really, Daryl?…that's just nasty." I told him with my nose curled up in disgust, fighting the urge to swat at him.

Shane leaned forward, I'm sure looking at the deer much in the same manner as I had and grunted. "I wouldn't risk that."

"Damn shame." Daryl sighed, standing up. "Got us some squirrel though, 'bout a dozen or so, it'll have to do."

Things only went downhill from there…just like I knew they would. The minute Daryl started hollering for his brother I knew everything was about to get out of hand…

"To Hell with all o' ya'll! Jus' tell me where he is so I can go get'em." Daryl wailed, shaking off anyone who tried to approach him.

Surprisingly it was Lori who stepped forward, "He'll show you."

My eyes widened as I turned to look at her. Was she smoking crack these days? Sure, I liked Merle alright. The man had never bothered me, not that I knew him long enough to make any real judgments on his character…but this was _**my**_ brother we were talking about sending back into Atlanta.

As Daryl strolled away, I squeezed Shane's hand and raced to catch up with him. I don't know what compelled me to try and make this right, but I felt like maybe I could talk him into taking me along instead. I was a good shot and I was just as fast on my feet as Rick or Glenn.

"Daryl," I yelled, trying to keep up with the fuming man.

"What'd ya want?" He screamed, turning around and pointing a threating finger in my face.

Not really taken back by his anger, as it was certainly justified, I whispered. "I wanted to say, I'm sorry."

He scoffed. "What the Hell you got to be sorry about. It's my brother—

"I know what it's like to feel that loss—

"You don't know nothin', ya stupid bitch," he snarled, advancing on me. I could feel Shane's eyes burning holes into the back of my head and if Daryl wasn't careful things could turn very ugly, very fast. "Go one back to yer cop boyfriend and leave me the Hell alone."

Anger boiled in my gut as he called me a stupid bitch. "Listen here, Redneck. Your brother got left on a rooftop because he was high and nearly got everyone killed. And for your information…you're putting _**my**_ brother's life at risk by goin' after him."

"Yer brother…" Daryl stopped dead in his tracks, realization dawning in his eyes.

"Yeah, Rick Grimes, _**my twin brother**_." I said lowering my hackles, trying not to antagonize the man with the very sharp knife. "Look Dixon, I just came over here to see if I could help…"

"Listen here Birdie _**Grimes**_, if somethin' happens ta Merle 'cause of yer brother I'm gonna—

"What Daryl? What will you do? Slit all of our throats in our sleep? Will you kill me?" I asked, taking a step closer. I just happened to notice that Trusty was hot on my heels, growling low, his fur standing on end. Like I said, fuck with Mama Grimes and Trusty will bite you. After a long silence, I scoffed, "Daryl, you might be a lot of things people don't like…but you sure as Hell ain't the type of man ta lay hands on a woman."

Before he could say anything else he'd probably regret later, I flipped him the bird and stomped back to camp.

**~Author's Note~**

So, Daryl got nasty with Birdie. Anybody think it's gonna last?


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*

**Warning: **This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

**Pairing: **Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

**Chapter Eleven**

By the time I had made it back to camp—after a little detour to calm my temper—my brother was already redressed in his uniform and arguing with Shane about him going back. Daryl was watching all of like a hawk, sizing us up as he carefully went about wiping down his crossbow. Even I could appreciate his Horton, though, with my how much weight I've lost in recent months, I knew I could never hope to string it.

"So that's it, huh," Shane said following my brother as he tried to gather himself. "You're just gonna walk off, to Hell with everybody else?"

Ricky shook his head, trying to find the words to explain why he had to do this. Oh, I knew why of course, it was my brother's huge heart that usually led him to disaster—but even I had to stop and marvel at this new idiocy.

"I'm not sayin' to Hell with anybody. Not you, Shane. Lori, least of all."

"Yeah," Shane spat, nearly trembling with nervous energy. "And what about Birdie? Man, she fought her way here from Tampa so she could find you and Carl…and what, her sacrifice means nothing to you?"

"Shane," Rick sighed, looking to me for help. Sorry brother dear, you are so on your own with this one. I just couldn't justify him sacrificing his life for a man who would sooner kill him than speak to him—he was leaving Carl behind for this.

"Tell her that."

"She knows." Rick said lightly.

"No, Ricky, I don't know. I don't think any of us do. So explain to me why you're gonna leave Carl without a father and Lori without a husband, again?"

He winced, and I think I may have finally hit a small sore spot with him. He had no idea what we had all been going through in the time he was in that coma, both before and after the outbreak.

"Ricky, you just woke up the other day, we've had to live this for month…months Ricky! The whole time we spent thinking you were never gonna wake up! That you were one of those things! So you tell me why this is more important than taking care of your family!" I knew I would be yelling by the end of that, but I didn't expect the hot sting of tears that accompanied it.

Shane growled next to me. "Why risk your life for a douche-bag like Merle Dixon?"

"Shane," I hissed at the same time Daryl pointed a bolt in our direction and said, "Hey, choose your words more carefully."

Shane shook his head and leveled Daryl with a glare that sent shivers down my spine. "No, I did. Douche-bag's what I meant…Merle Dixon, guy wouldn't give you a glass of water if you were dyin' of thirst."

Of course my tenderhearted brother couldn't even begin to see Shane's logic—he's just too good of a man, too sweet.

"So you and Daryl, that's your big plan," Lori said, crossing her arms over her chest, trying her best to make Rick feel guilty—it was too bad for her that I just wasn't in the mood to hear her lip either.

"You," I pointed in her direction and her eyes went wide. "shut your mouth, it was you that put your husband up to this… you might as well have served him to the walkers on a silver serving tray."

Daryl snickered from across the fire but Rick gave me "that look" and I growled and bit the inside of my cheek to keep from lashing out any further. I loved Lori, and I was probably a lot harsher than I meant to be…but why did she have to say anything. She probably knew Ricky as good as anybody and telling him to do "the right thing" set the **Hero** fire under his ass. I could smack the shit out of her right now.

"It's not just four. You're putting everyone at risk. Just know that, Rick. Come on, you saw that walker. It was here, it was in **Camp**. They're movin' out of the cities. They come back, we need every able body we've got. We need'em to protect camp."

"Shane's right," I said speaking up again. "Let me go in your place."

That suggestion was met by a strong chorus of "**No**."

"Why not, I know my way around the city, I'm just as good a shot as Rick and I'm just as fast as Glenn." I defended; making sure that Ricky knew how serious I was about this.

"No way in Hell, Birdie," Shane snapped at the same time Daryl yelled, "Hell no. I'd take the coon before I'd take a woman!"

"It seems to me what you really need most here are more guns." Ricky spoke up in his calm voice, immediately drawing everyone's attention away from the argument I had inadvertently started.

"Right, the guns," Glenn said looking thoughtful.

"Wait, what guns?" Shane asked, walking around behind me and pulling my back to his chest. I guess I really upset him by wanting to go. He needed to understand. I don't have a husband or a child that needed me…

"Six shotguns, two high-powered rifles and over a dozen handguns; I cleaned out the cage back at the station before I left. I dropped the bag in Atlanta when I got swarmed.

"Ammo?" Shane asked, but I just growled and walked away.

It was obvious that Ricky had made up his mind about this and clearly he had Shane all aboard this crazy train now, too. Well, I wasn't going to stand around and watch it. If Rick seriously wanted to risk his life for a bunch of guns that aren't even that useful…well, he could do it without me there to see him off. There was no way I could watch the heartbreak on my nephews face and not clock Ricky one in the jaw…possibly Lori, too.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*

**Warning: **This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

**Pairing: **Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

**Chapter Twelve**

As much as I hated it, I did suck up my pride to go see my brother and the others off, however, I had no doubts that Ricky knew just how displeased I was with him when he left. I didn't say anything to Lori or Shane after the group departed, afraid that I may say something hurtful to either one of them. So instead, I grabbed the large stack of Shane, Carl and Lori's laundry and headed for the quarry.

A smile broadened on my lips as I approached the gossiping hens at the bottom of the quarry, but I did groan a little when I saw that it was Ed who was on watch duty. I want to know in what world sitting on your ass watching women work counted as any kind of a duty—though, as I looked across the quarry and saw Shane splashing around with Carl…I thought better of saying anything about it and starting something.

All four women—Jacqui, Amy, Andrea and Carol—looked up as I approached, each of them giving me a timid smile, well except Andrea who seemed to have taken her Prozac this morning and was beaming at me.

_What a strange woman._

I said my hello's and toed off my boots, sighing in comfort as the cool water lapped over my burning feet. Carol who was closest smiled and handed me a crude mixture of detergent and a thick scrubbing brush. God, why hadn't I ever learned how to do this?

"So you and Shane?" Amy asked after a minute of silence.

I looked to her raising a brow and she immediately defended herself. "What? It's not like he's made an attempt to hide it. He's been practically peeing on your leg since you showed up a couple of days ago."

"Got that right, honey." Jacqui agreed, laughing when my face darkened with a blush.

"So, you and Shane, have you always been together?" Amy asked again.

_Obviously, she isn't going to just let this go._

"No," I said quietly. "I never even knew he had feeling for me until…"

"Well, no time like the present. We never know when the day might be our last."

I nodded, thinking that Carol definitely made a strong point.

As we worked our way through the astonishing pile of clothes Jacqui looked over to where Shane had just fallen on his ass in the water. "I'm beginning to question the division of labor."

"Can someone explain to me why the women wound up doing all the Hattie McDaniel work?" Andrea piped in a minute later, but I seriously couldn't help but laugh…Shane, he just looked so silly all soaking wet and hollering like a drowning cat.

Amy smiled at me and then looked back over at her sister. "The world ended, didn't you get the memo."

I snorted.

"It's just the way it is," Carol replied, her eyes darting over to where Ed had just let his second cigarette in the last fifteen minutes.

The resigned look on her face sobered me fast. This was probably nothing new to Carol, nothing new by a long shot.

"I do miss my Maytag," she said a minute later, sighing wistfully as she thought about the machine. I hummed in agreement; this beating your clothes on rocks was for the birds.

Andrea sighed next, a dreamy look on her face when she talked about her fancy car. I really couldn't relate though. I had driven that rusted out CJ most of my life… and I wouldn't know how to work a GPS if you put it in front of me. Shane, on the other hand would probably be creaming his shorts right along with her…what was it with men and shiny electronics?

"I miss my coffeemaker with a dual drip filter and built in grinder, honey." Jacqui said with a little shimmy of her hips.

"Amen to that, sister." I said laughing. Dear Lord, how I missed Starbuck's. The mornings just aren't the same without good coffee, though; I don't think I'd trade a bunch of beans for the hunk of shirtless man meat I get as a wakeup call now.

"My computer…texting," Amy said looking forlorn. I stuck my tongue and curled my nose. Electronics just weren't my thing. Shane had to literally stay on the phone with me the entire time I set up my laptop for work.

"What do you miss, Birdie?" Carol asked sweetly, looking over at me with a small, timid smile.

I thought about it for a minute. I guess I was pretty lucky. I had my family, my dog, a wonderful man who loved me. The only thing I guess I really missed was…

"I miss my job," Almost every eyebrow shot up at my answer and I raised my hands in surrender. "Tell me you wouldn't want to play with Tiger cub's and baby Elephants all day."

"Awe," Amy cooed, making a face that told me she was still a kid at heart. "You were a Zoo Keeper?"

I nodded, not bother to explain the actual description that my job entailed. It didn't really matter anymore anyways. I just hoped my animals were okay. That they had gotten out and were terrorizing the walkers as we speak.

"I miss my vibrator." Andrea said suddenly, looking like she really meant that too.

Jacqui's eyes widened as she "mmmmm'd" and gave her a look that said "you nasty, girl" while the rest of us snickered. The only one who looked bothered by this topic of conversation was Amy and she was looking mighty green around the gills.

Carol looked around, eyeing her disgusting husband for a moment before she turned back to us, rolled her eyes and quietly said. "Me too."

I choked on my own spit as I laughed, trying not to fall in the water while the rest the girls fell out in raucous peals of whooping laughter.

It was nice getting to know these women. I had never had many girlfriends, mostly because the ones I did have were only interested in getting to Shane or Rick through me, but I could see myself making real friends here and that made me smile.

"What's so funny," Ed said hatefully as he strolled down to the edge of the water, looking at all of us like we had just broken the Chain-gang rule of no talking or something as equally ridiculous.

Andrea rolled her eyes, looking up at the heavy man with pure distain as she casually said. "Just swappin' war stories, Ed."

All laughter and good humor were gone as he continued to make his way toward us, coming to a stop just behind me. A tingle of dread crawled down my spine like icy spider legs and somehow I knew that with this many strong willed women in one space, things were not going to end well here today.

God, sometimes I really hated being right.

* * *

**~Author's Note~**

I really dislike Andrea :P She's such a dumbass.

Questions? Comments?


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*

**Warning: **This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

**Pairing: **Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

**Chapter Thirteen**

Nothing really surprised me from that point on. I could tell from the time I had first laid eyes on Andrea that she wasn't the type of woman to be submissive and _**that**_ was going to cause a big problem sometime—most likely in the very near future.

Even though I had never been in any type of an abusive relationship, my college roommate and only real girlfriend—Becky—had married a physically and mentally abusive man. I had not only been around him when he was violent but I was also around to see the head games that men like Ed liked to play—they didn't impress me at all.

Ed remained, lingering just behind me, making everybody nervous—myself included—and I desperately looked across the quarry to see that Shane had stopped talking to Lori and was now watching me and intensely staring at the situation around me.

It was easy to discern through his posture and tone, that Ed was looking to pick a fight with someone. Ed may have looked stupid to everyone here, but I knew that he wasn't. He was a master manipulator of the weak minded. He knew that if he prodded a woman like Andrea—strong and independent—she'd take the bait and then he'd punish Carol later for it. It was sick, but I had witnessed it so many times throughout Becky and Andrew's relationship.

Andrea didn't disappoint.

"Problem, Ed?" Andrea asked with a huff as she dropped the shirt she was washing into the water with a loud splash. She was clearly done putting up with his intimidating attitude but I knew she was about to go poking the sleeping bear and I could guarantee she was nowhere near as tough as she thought she was.

He took a long drag off his smoke, blowing it straight into my face as he spoke, "None that concerns you," he sneered, turning his nose down to his wife. "You ought to focus on yer work, this ain't no comedy club."

What an asshole? So what if his wife was trying to enjoy whatever she could in this new and terrifying world? God, did he not love her at all?

Andrea scoffed, and I knew by this point that she wasn't going to let this go. Discreetly as I could, I leaned over Carol—pretending to grab another scrub brush–and quietly whispered to Andrea that this probably wasn't the best time to start an argument with a man who was clearly violent and who also outweighed her by a good hundred pounds or more.

I was by no means a coward, but I certainly knew how and when to choose my battles…this battle wasn't a good one to pick at all.

Carol nodded frantically, completely agreeing with me.

Andrea looked at the both of us and sneered, haughtily stating that she could take care of herself and that if I were scared, I could go run back to my boyfriend.

_Well, alright then, bitch_—I thought irritably. I'd let miss macho think what she would about me, but I can guarantee the first time Ed really showed her what he was all about, it was gonna scare the daylights out of her. That stupid woman just didn't realize that anything she said in the next few minutes was going to wind up adding to the bruises on Carol's body later—well, that would be Andrea's burden to bare when the time came, wouldn't it?

Completely ignoring me, Andrea stood, snotty look on her face and everything as she swaggered towards Ed like she was Queen Bitch of the Jungle. If I wasn't so scared that Ed would really hurt her, I would have laughed at her attempts to seem manly.

"Ed, I'll tell you what. If you don't like how you're laundries done, you're more than welcome to pitch in and do it yourself." She said sounding mighty pleased with herself as she tossed the shirt she'd been scrubbing into his chest. "Here."

His whole demeanor changed instantly—just like I knew it would—turning dangerous as his lips curled up over his teeth in a snarl. He tossed the shirt back at her with force, smacking her straight in the face with it. Andrea let out a surprised yelp and looked at him stupidly, as if she were saying "You're not allowed to hit girls". Some people really are just too stupid for their own good.

It escalated quickly after that. Andrea kept running her mouth, taunting Ed—despite Carol and her sister begging her to stop—until finally Ed was a full on raging bull.

I cast my eyes around the quarry, desperately searching for Shane, but I couldn't see him anywhere. I could only hope that it meant he was on his way over here.

My knees began to tremble with a rush of adrenaline as Ed stepped forward and grabbed Carol by the arm with bruising pressure. When Carol cried out in pain, the dam in Ed broke and he turned quickly and backhanded her across the face, knocking her to the ground.

In that moment, something inside me cried out to protect her—she was just like Becky—innocent, and I threw myself in front of her, if only to keep her from getting hit again. "Stop hitting her!"

It only took one look in his eyes for me to understand that I had made a serious mistake getting between him and his prey. He howled in outrage, calling me some foul name before his hand shot out and struck me with a force I didn't know human men possessed.

White light exploded from behind my left eye and my ass hit the dirt seconds later, my head bouncing off a rock with a resounding crack that left my ears ringing. The hit itself stung, but it didn't hurt nearly as bad as the rock that met the back of my skull when I fell.

Suddenly screams erupted all around me and I looked up just in time to see Shane storming the beach with murder in his eyes.

* * *

**~Author's Note~ **

Uh-oh~Ed's gonna get his ass beat:) Ed's gonna get his ass beat:) Ed's gonna get his ass beat:) Everybody sing.

Thank you all for adding this story to your favorites and follow alerts...and special thanks to my reviewers, **angellic dragon**, **ThereAre666Ways2Love** and **Layshla Gisel**. Major kisses to you guys.

Up next...the ass beating of Ed's life will commense. *Laughs evily*


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*

**Warning: **This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

**Pairing: **Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

**Chapter Fourteen**

Just as Ed had come at me again, Shane yanked him up by his shirt collar and dragged him away.

We all watched helplessly as Shane gave Ed—what I was sure to be the beating of his life. The girls were all screaming at him to stop, but I couldn't find my voice. I felt that this was justified.

In my mind Ed deserved to feel what it was like to be on the receiving end of a fist that held more power than his. Nevertheless, it was a startling thing to witness first hand. I had seen Shane fight before—the idiot had too big of a mouth in high school to ever be denied that rite of passage—but I had never, never seen Shane this angry. It was a little frightening.

Amy tugged on my arm, bringing back to the present where Shane remained settled on top of Ed, continuously hitting him. "You have to stop him; he'll kill Ed if you don't."

She was right, it was very likely that Shane would kill him if I didn't step in, but I was weary to get near a man swinging his fist like that right now. I had never been hit by a man before. Like any other woman, I had my fair share of bruises from roughhousing with my brother and his friends, but I had never been hit purposefully.

Admittedly, I was a little scared.

Carol was still screaming for her husband and I knew then that I couldn't let Shane continue on the way he was. I couldn't allow the rest of the group look at him like he was unstable.

Darting forward until I was almost on top of them, I screamed for Shane to stop. He did so instantly, but never turned away from Ed.

"You put your hands on your wife, your little girl or anyone else in this camp; I will not stop the next time. You lay hands on my woman again and I'll feed you to a fuckin' walker. Do you hear me?" He growled his chest extending as he breathed down on the other man, a menacing finger in his face and squeezing Ed's battered cheeks with the other.

"Do you hear me?" He repeated, punching Ed once more. I winced as I heard the loud crack that followed. "I'll beat you to death, Ed!"

"Shane!" I cried. "That's enough."

He slung Ed backwards in the dirt, sneering and spitting at the ground as he backed away. When he finally turned to face me, all of the anger disappeared and was replaced by a look of pure concern as he rushed over to me.

"Birdie, are you alright, baby?" He asked.

Now that he mentioned it, I didn't feel so good. My head was throbbing and I felt like I might vomit at any moment. I shook my head, answering his question and swayed on my feet.

Shane surged forward, grabbing me by both of my arms to steady me. "What is it? Baby, what hurts?"

"My head," I groaned, promptly throwing a hand over my mouth as I broke out of his grip and turned around and dropped to my knees, expelling the entire contents my stomach.

"Shit," Shane swore, dropping down on his haunches beside me and rubbing my back. "You get it all up."

I nodded once, still feeling a little dizzy.

Without word, he scooped me up bridal style and started back towards camp, growling at Ed as we passed the others loading him into his vehicle.

As soon as we made it to Dale's R.V., everyone in the near vicinity came running. Lori looked frantic as she saw me being carried in Shane's arms. "My God, what happened?"

"That no good, piece of—

I smacked him in the arm, looking up at him with dizzy eyes and mouthed Carl.

He growled and spit out, "Ed," and placed me gently on one of the camping chairs around the fire pit.

Dale came over looking concerned but never even got a word out before Shane barked at him, asking for a flashlight.

Lori stroked my hair tenderly, asking softly for more details.

Suddenly, she gasped loudly and jumped backwards. "Jesus, Birdie, you're bleeding." She said, extending her hand so that we could all see the blood coating her fingers. My stomach rolled at the sight.

Dale came back at a jog, promptly handing over the flashlight to Shane who crouched in front of me and shined the light in each eye. The action made me violently sick and I jerked away from him and leaned over to puke again.

"I'm gonna kill'em." Shane said lowly.

"What is it? What's wrong with Aunt Birdie?" Carl asked, his little voice quivering as he and Trusty came barreling into to investigate.

"It's nothing, big man, just a little knock on the head." I said lightly, trying to hold back tears so I wouldn't scare him anymore than he already was.

Lori looked at me, then to Carl before she ordered him off to play. He whined but she was firm about him going. I was glad that she did, I didn't want him to see me like this…he was already so worried about Rick.

Trusty stayed behind, obviously worried about his Mama as he wouldn't leave the place he had made for himself directly under my lawn-chair.

"What's wrong, Shane?" Lori asked when Carl was out of hearing range.

"Her left eye's blown out; she's got one Hell of a concussion." He said, leaning forward to kiss my forehead. "You're gonna have one bitch of a headache for the next couple of days. I don't want you doin' anythin' strenuous either."

I went to protest but he cut me off. "I mean it, Birdie, you could faint and cause yourself more damage."

I smiled at his concern. "Alright, Papa Walsh, I'll stay put."

He smiled back, kissing my lips this time as he whispered. "Damn right you will, or I'll put you over my knee and spank that cute lil' ass till its blue."

I blushed brightly and Lori scoffed, muttering "Pervert," under her breath.

"Can I at least go check on Carol, Ed hit her pretty hard."

Shane looked at me like I was crazy or stupid or possibly both and I hurried to tack on, "It's not like Ed can get out of bed right now, anyway."

He shook his head. "I don't like it, Birdie…but if you go, here…" he trailed off as he handed me the same pistol he had this morning. "If he comes at you again, shoot that bastard."

I smiled and nodded at him.

* * *

**~Author's Note~**

Well, Ed did indeed get his ass kicked.

Up next, we find out how Shane wound up with the amusing nick-name "Papa Walsh".


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*

**Warning: **This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

**Pairing: **Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

**Chapter Fifteen**

It had been a long day. Between my fight with Rick and Daryl this morning, my confrontation with Ed, and Jim freaking out on everyone this afternoon, I was dog tired.

The upside to this day was that Andrea and Amy really did hit the mother-load down at the quarry and I'll even admit to being pleasantly surprised when they brought up their haul of about 30 Bluegill.

As soon as I had heard Andrea asking Dale for his fishing equipment—and realized she actually knew what she was talking about—I had Morales drive down to the main road where I had left the Semi so I could collect my stash of beer and immediately put them in the water of the quarry to chill.

Later that evening, when it was determined that we would be having a fish fry, I had him take me back down to the quarry to retrieve my little surprise and I can tell you that we were met with a welcomed response when the adults saw what I had for them.

"Birdie," Dale said, smiling as I passed him a longneck. "You are an Angel of mercy."

I laughed at him. "Now Dale, don't be tryin' to butter me up."

Dale chuckled as he clinked his bottle against mine. "Do you know where Shane got off to; it's almost time to eat? I certainly wouldn't want him to miss this feast."

Smiling brightly, I held up my hand, "Say no more, good Sir." I told him as I whistled lowly for Trusty. Within seconds, Trusty bounded out from the open door to the R.V. and was at my side.

"Tru," I said his name sternly and he immediately sat on his butt, waiting for my command. I held out one of the rags that Shane had forced into my hands earlier, and thrust it under Trusty's nose. "Find, boy. Go find Papa Walsh."

With a little howl he tore off into the trees.

Dale looked to me with wide, surprised eyes. "Wow. That's a smart dog you have there."

"Well, he should be. He was trained for the K-9 unit." I told him shrugging.

He sat down next to me, completely absorbed in the conversation. "And how did you come by him?"

Lori snorted from her place across from me. She already knew this story all too well.

"Rick," I said. "Trusty tore a tendon in his back leg and was pulled from training a few weeks before he was supposed to graduate. My brother has a friend who worked as a field trainer and he knew how good I was with animals, so he called up Rick and my goofy brother decided it would be my birthday present that year."

Dale nodded, a wide grin spreading across his lips. "And what's this Papa Walsh business."

Lori couldn't contain her laugh this time and I couldn't blame her, it was funny as Hell. I laughed every time I thought about it.

"Well," I told him after taking a long pull from the cool bottle. "It was still a couple of weeks until my "surprise" birthday party when Rick had to pick him up. He couldn't keep Trusty at his house because there was no way he could hide a year old bloodhound from me, I just spent too much time there. So Shane offered to let Trusty stay at the apartment with him….

I laughed, "One night, a couple days before the birthday party, Rick decides he needed to make sure that the special collar he had a leather worker make for him would fit and went over to Shane's to try it on him.

Rick swears up and down that he knocked and knocked but that was never proven, but he knew Shane was home because both the squad car and his Explorer were in the parking lot. He says because it was a Friday that he figured Shane was probably getting ready to go out for the night. So he decides to go on in anyway…

"How did he get in?" Amy piped in, taking a seat with a plate of fish in her hand.

"Since Rick and I moved out of our Mama's house, Shane's always had keys to every apartment or house we've ever lived in and vise verse. You wouldn't believe how many times I've gotten up in the mornin' to find Shane sprawled out on the couch in my living room after he'd gotten too drunk the night before…

"But anyway, Rick goes on in and hears singing coming from the bathroom…" I snorted, covering my face with my hand as I tried to tell my story without breaking down into hysterics.

"So Rick gets out his phone, 'cause he's sure he's about to catch Shane doing something blackmail worthy…" Lori's in tears by this point and I'm just as bad.

"He…he pushes the door open and—

"One more word out of you and I'll tell everyone 'bout that little table dance you did on your 21st." Shane said coming out of the trees with a bright smile on his face.

"Awe, come on, Officer Walsh, she was just getting to the good stuff." Amy whined and Andrea snickered, "Table dance" next to her.

Ignoring Shane completely, I went to open my mouth again, but found a warm hand clamped around it. Lori who was still laughing must have decided that he couldn't keep both of us quiet and finishes the story.

"So Rick walks in and Shane's in the bathtub with the dog, both of them had shower-caps on their heads and…what was it you were singing?" Lori asked with a snort.

Ripping Shane's hand away from my face, I blurt out, "B-B-B-B Bad to the Bone."

Lori squeals, "That's right! He had little chew toys floating around in the bubbles and everything!"

"That's it!" Shane cried as he gripped my waist and started to tickle me without mercy. The rest of the camp were laughing at our antics as Lori went on to tell them that we called him Big Bad Papa Walsh ever since.

"You're gonna pay for that later, Birdie." Shane said as he took a seat on the log next to me, playfully pinching my ass.

I smiled coyly at him, looking up from under my lashes. "Promise, Sheriff?"

He smirked at me but said nothing.

It wasn't long after I had told them the Papa Walsh story that someone asked Dale what his deal with his watch was.

It was a good night. Everyone was happily consuming the cool beer and enjoying Andrea's and Amy's catch. Shane was very snuggly but I had a bad feeling that I would probably be staying with Carl and Lori tonight since Rick hadn't made it back yet.

"Where are you going?" Andrea asked Amy as she got up from around the fire and headed towards the R.V.

"I have to pee," Amy replied incensed. "Jeez, can't I have a little privacy around here?"

We all laughed, especially Carl. In fact, he looked about ready to fall out of his chair…but I noticed that the laugh was forced. Hmmm? I seem to remember laughing at all of Shane's jokes when we were teenagers, wanting to impress him.

As covertly as I could, I cut my eyes over to him and I noticed he had the reddest cheeks I had ever seen…even redder than mine, and that was saying something.

Oh my poor, sweet, nephew had first crush; so darn cute.

A minute later, Amy stepped out of the motor home and complained that they were out of toilet paper… then the screaming began.

* * *

**~Author's Note~**

Hello all!

Well, what did we all think about how Shane came across his amusing little nick-name? Hope you all liked.

Anywho, I hope everyone out there is enjoying their holiday…because I'm not. Both the boyfriend and I have come down with some horrible sneezing, coughing mess and had to stay home. So instead of Turkey, we are enjoying homemade chicken noodle soup (compliments of yours truly).

So, feeling crappy, I decided to cheer myself with more hotness of Shane Walsh.

Hope you all enjoy and Happy Turkey Day,

LittleRin26

P.S. ~ Thank you once again to my reviewers, **Leyshla Gisel**,** DamonSalvatorelover789**, and** angellic dragon**.**  
**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*

**Warning: **This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

**Pairing: **Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

**Chapter Sixteen**

It was complete chaos… everyone was dying and there was nothing I could do to stop it. It didn't seem to matter how many of them I killed, more kept coming.

Shane was screaming for the rest of us to make it toward the R.V., but I just couldn't. There were so many that needed help…I had to help them, I couldn't _**not**_ help them.

"Birdie!" Lori screamed, forcing me to look her way and nearly killing me because I wasn't paying attention.

A walker lunged at me, taking me to the ground with enough force to rock my head and make me see double. It was growling and snapping at my face and I realized the only reason I hadn't been bitten or scratched was because I had somehow instinctively protected myself with the stock of my rifle.

"Help me, please!" I screamed. I was fighting the thing off the best I could, but with my brains swimming with dizziness, I was fast losing hold of my grip.

"Birdie!" I heard Shane screaming. I couldn't tell where he was. Screams seemed to be echoing off screams and nothing was making sense to me.

In a last ditch effort to save myself, I bucked up, arching my hips high enough to slide my knees up and kick the half rotting man off of me.

A shot rang through the night air, just as I was struggling to get to my knees again and I looked up to see a dirty, blood-soaked hand. Following the path of flesh with my eyes, I uncovered even dirtier arms and a blood stained muscle shirt. Bright blue eyes regarded me before he shook his hand again; trying to make me understand that it was alright to take it. It was Daryl.

"Thank you," I told him as he helped me to my feet. He just nodded and all of the ire he held for me earlier in the day seemed to have disappeared. He looked genuinely concerned as he looked me over, his eyes clearly scanning for bites or scratches.

Faster than I could comprehend, more shots were fired and my brother's voice carried over the distance. "Carl! Lori!"

It didn't take long but soon, all walkers were silenced and instead of screaming, the blackness of the night was filled with morning cries for our dead. My brother surged forward, embracing his wife and child, holding them tightly to him as he sobbed into his son's hair.

"Shane!" I screamed as my eyes frantically searched out his tall frame but I couldn't see him. Finally losing my cool, I screamed again. "Shane!"

"Jesus, Birdie!" He yelled, forcing his way through the others.

"Shane!" I cried, taking off in a crooked run to him.

"Oh God, Birdie!" He yelled, pulling me close to his chest. "Oh God!"

"Sh-Shane!" I sobbed, burrowing my face into his chest. "Amy, I saw Amy…"

"Shuhh darlin', shuhh…" he said, pulling me closer to his chest. "I've got ya. I've got ya. I won't ever let anythin' happen to you."

"I love you, Shane. I love you."

"Shuhh," he soothed, holding me as tight as he dared. "I love you, too, baby."

* * *

Waking up the next morning to Daryl throwing one of his temper tantrums was not ideal. In fact, if I would have had the energy I probably would have put that pix-ax through his brain just for yelling.

I hadn't wanted to lay down last night because I was sure that there were better things that I could be doing, not to mention that no force on this earth could have put me to sleep, but Rick and Shane insisted that Lori and I try and get Carl to rest for a few hours. So Lori and I made a pallet out of blankets on the ground in the middle of their tent—we were still too scared to sleep next to the walls. It took a while but with Lori and me on either side of him, and with Trusty at his feet, Carl fell asleep, and I joined him not long after.

Shane came rushing at me as soon as I stumbled from the tent. I thought I would feel better when I woke up, but…I think I felt worse. My head was pounding so loud I was sure the others could hear it and I was fairly certain that sleeping on the hard ground did little to relieve the pressure off the uncomfortable bruise on the back of my head.

"Baby," he said lowly as I swayed. "You need to sit down."

I nodded, complying because I really did need to sit down, preferably before I fell down.

"What the Hell happened to your face?" Rick asked in a growl as he came over to squat before me.

I looked up, my eyes squinting against the blinding sun, but I didn't miss the look of distain that crossed Shane's face as he snarled, "Ed wrapped her one across the face yesterday. She hit her head on a rock when she fell."

"What?" My brother growled at the same time Daryl yelled, "Son of a bitch!"

Where did he come from?

"Where is _he_?" My brother asked lowly, his face turning a unique shade of purple I had never seen before.

Shane snickered and Lori snorted as she exited the tent. "He's hiding away. He's scared to death that Shane will make good on the rest of the ass kickin' he has coming."

I gaped at them. "That fat bastard survived?"

Shane nodded, looking pissed. "Yeah. I saw him this morning. When the walkers attacked…he just ran. Left his wife and daughter behind and ran like a little bitch."

"That sounds like him." I said offhandedly and Daryl snorted as he approached.

Daryl looked a little strange standing there, shuffling from foot to foot nervously. "You got a concussion?" He asked tersely, his head jerking up, gesturing that he was talking to me.

"Yeah," Shane answered. "A bad one. Her whole left eye was blown out yesterday."

Daryl nodded before sticking his hand out with a closed fist, like he wanted me to take something from him. I opened my hand without word and he dropped three pills into them. Two large white circles and a small bar in the color peach.

"Percocet and Phenergan. Should kill that headache and stop ya from pukin'."

My mouth fell open in surprise, as did Shane's, Rick's and Dale's. Lori just snorted but threw a hand over her own open mouth the minute Daryl turned on her and glared.

"Thank you," I told him sweetly, meaning every word.

Shane nodded his thanks as well, but my brother clapped him on the back and told him "thank you" outright.

Daryl just shrugged and said, "Can't let all the good people 'round here go to Hell."

My brother laughed and I thought Lori might pee her pants. I knew what that bitch was thinking—yeah, yeah, I attract all the bad-boys…but I didn't think this had anything to do with my looks. I think Daryl honestly liked me and my brother because we weren't scared to tell him like it was.

Either way, Rick stood briskly, that look of murderous intent back in his eyes as he took in the large purple splotch that discolored my cheek and turned to Shane, "I don't think the women and children in this camp are safe anymore with Ed around, what do you think, Shane."

Shane laughed, nodding his agreement.

"Well," Rick said, smiling down at me briefly. "Let's go arrest the bad guy."

Shane kissed me sweetly before turning and following after my pissed off brother. Yeah, I think Ed Peletier is going to live to regret the day that he ever pissed off a member of the Grimes family; we tend to be a little vindictive.

* * *

**~Author's Note~**

Okay before you grab your torches and pitch forks, I actually have a good reason for keeping Ed alive—which will be explained later on in the story.

Other than that, I hope you all enjoyed.

Question and Comments are always welcomed. **  
**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*

**Warning: **This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

**Pairing: **Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

**Chapter Seventeen**

It was getting later. The sun was high in the Georgia sky and already everyone in camp seemed to be soaked through with sweat. By this point everyone had wandered off on some task or another and I felt entirely useless, but between Rick and Shane…I was on a no heavy lifting…no exertion duty.

Rick had torn out of camp about a half hour ago, heading up to the ridge that overlooked downtown. He was crouched in a squat, speaking into a wireless walkie. He must have been trying to reach Morgan again.

Shane wasn't far from him, obviously watching my brother's back at a distance and it made me laugh. Shane had always been the protector. Ricky was no wuss, but he was a gangly kid…and it seemed Shane was always getting into fights with the older kids to protect him.

"So, where headed to the CDC?" I asked, coming up from behind and squeezing Shane's waist.

He sighed, hanging his head. "Yeah, Rick said that they were broadcastin' somethin' about a cure."

"Yeah, and what do you think?"

He spun around, holding me to him as he bent down to press his warm lips against mine. His kiss was more demanding than before, harsher, but I think that because he was scared.

"You know what I think, Birdie. But you also know I trust your brother's gut."

Smiling, I pushed off on my toes, capturing his lips with mine again, running my tongue along his bottom lip. He groaned and parted his lips without question, responding in a way that only made the spring in my lower belly coil tighter. If I didn't have that man soon, I think I might combust.

"What happened with Andrea and Jim?" I asked, because when Daryl decided to freak out…I took off.

As far as I was concerned that little spat was unnecessary, not uncalled for entirely but definitely unnecessary. Even if I believed Daryl was right about Amy needing to be taken care of—and as much as I disliked Andrea in general—I couldn't get past how insensitive it was for him to say some of the things that he had with Andrea sitting right there. But, if I were being honest with myself, I guess the people in this group hadn't exactly been fair to him either. So, I left before I could say anything that I may come to regret later, either to him or the rest of the group.

Cowardice as it might have seemed, I couldn't even stand to look at Amy's body; I had really liked her despite the being quite a few years older than her. I could easily imagine Rick and I having her for a little sister; she was a perfect mix of our personalities.

Shane shifted uncomfortably, lowering his eyes to the gravel beneath him. "Andrea took care of it." I nodded, I had heard the shot.

"And…Jim?"

Shane sighed, "Rick wants to make a go for the CDC. He thinks they can save him, but…"

"Yeah, I happen to agree with you and Daryl." I told him gripping his bicep. "That poor man is gonna be miserable traveling in his condition.

He looked down to me with unmasked surprise on his face and I shrugged my shoulder. "I love Ricky, you know that, but he isn't using his head on this one. I have no idea how long it takes for the infection to set in, but by time we get ourselves together and actually get on the road…"

He nodded as I trialed off, no more needing to be said. Shane knew that there was a very good possibility of Jim turnin' on us before we even made it to Atlanta and I think that scared him just as bad as it did me.

We remained silent for a moment, both taking comfort in the others embrace, before Shane jutted my chin with his thumb, bringing my attention back to his face.

"You ridin' with me?" He asked hopefully, but I shook my head. "Birdie—

"Shane, it's a good idea to keep the Semi. You never know when were gonna need the fuel or another "safe" spot to hang your head for the night. Walkers can't climb and that sleeper sits pretty high off the ground."

"Someone else can't drive it?" He argued, his fists settling on his hips defiantly.

"Like who?" I asked my nose curling up as I squinted against the sun. "Shane, baby, not too many of us here took the time to get our CDL's before the world ended. Dale has the R.V., Jim's in no shape to drive, T's got the Church van and more than enough passengers and I don't know about Daryl, but it doesn't even matter 'cause he's got Merle's bike and his truck to worry about."

"What about Glenn?" He asked but as his face twisted into a grimace I realized that even he knew what a last ditch effort that sounded like.

"Yeah, _**no**_." I laughed, swatting his shoulder.

"Birdie," he sighed, rubbing my arms with his calloused hands. "I don't want ya ridin' by yourself. I won't know how to go on if somethin' were to happen to you…if we were to get separated again."

I smiled at him, my best reassuring one as I popped onto my toes to offer his cheek a little peck. "Shane, I won't be alone…I have Tru."

He snorted.

"What's goin' on over here?" Ricky called to us from a distance, his feet eating up the ground in hurried steps. "A lovers spat?"

"Don't get cute, Ricky." I told him sternly, crossing my arms over my chest.

Shane grumbled next to me. "Your sister wants to take the Semi by _herself_."

"Birdie, you can't haul that tanker down the road," Rick said, approaching me with a small frown on his face. I frowned back, opening my mouth to tell big brother to shove it up his ass, but he held his hands up in surrender. "We can't use diesel for anythin', but I guess if you want to keep the sleeper…"

"I do," I told him bluntly. "I'll have Shane or Daryl drive me down to the road to load it in a minute…it'd be a mistake not keeping the fuel."

"Chirp's right," Daryl grunted suddenly, making his way over with his pix-ax slung across his shoulders. "Ya never know when we might need the fuel, plus that Semi will be real good for pushin' shit out'a the road."

"Chirp?" My brother questioned, completely ignoring the way Shane growled, an amused smirk playing on his lips.

"Chirp?" I parroted, my eyebrows disappearing into my hairline with the mention of the "cutesy" nick-name Daryl had apparently dubbed me worthy of.

He just shrugged, "Her name's Birdie, ain't it?" He said like that made all the sense in the world. I guess it kind of did, but then again I was still in shock that Daryl had thought to give it to me.

I could feel Shane tensed up behind me, and I didn't even need to see his face to know he was shooting Dixon the mother of all glares. Hmmm? I wonder if this is just another way for Daryl to get under Shane's skin. It made a Hell of a lot more sense than Daryl giving a pet name for shits and giggles.

"Alright," my brother stated, pulling his head honcho hat on and smirking at Daryl. "Daryl, you wanna run Birdie on down to the road to get the tanker loaded?"

Daryl sighed but nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, alright."

Shane piped up. "I've got it."

Oh, my gruff, knuckling-dragging caveman. You worried Dixon's gonna steal your girl?

Admittedly, if I had never found Shane again, I certainly wouldn't have minded the extra attention from the rugged hunter…there was just something about him. None of that mattered however, I loved my Italian Stallion—as Shane had so proclaimed himself in the Eight grade—and no force on this earth—even Daryl's sky blue eyes—could turn my head from him.

* * *

**~ Author's Note ~**

So what do ya'll think? Is Daryl simply trying to ruffle Shane's feathers or could there be a real attraction there? Hmmm…

Questions? Comments?


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*

**Warning: **This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

**Pairing: **Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

**Chapter Eighteen**

It was decided shortly after by Morales and his wife that they wouldn't be headed with us to the CDC, opting instead to try and make it to Alabama. I thought they were crazy for leaving the safety of the group when they saw firsthand what could happen when you split numbers. I hoped the best for them though; it was all I could do.

Jim was already in pain and lying down in the R.V., and for the first time, I really doubted my brother's gut…it was glaringly obvious that there would be no cure in Jim's future, CDC or not.

Everyone was uncomfortable as the last bit of the fires burned down. Jacqui and Glenn looked disheartened. T-dog looked like the rest of us…ready to get out of this graveyard.

Despite any complaints made by Shane, he was indeed needed elsewhere and Daryl ended up driving me and Tru to the Semi. It was tearful goodbye for everybody…Carl, Ricky and Lori—who had decided to take charge of the Peletier's Cherokee wagon with Sophia, Carol and a handcuffed Ed in the boot—looked reluctant to let me part from them.

But no one was worse than Shane. He made sure to remind me to keep constant CB contact, afraid that at the back of the convoy those Walkers would somehow learn how to fly and attack me from the moon roof.

Every once in a while Dale would come over the CB and give us status updates on Jim's condition…the prognosis wasn't good. He seemed to be in serious pain, so much so that I could actually hear him groaning over the airways. As petty as it might sound, I was glad not to be a passenger in that vehicle.

"_Hey babe, switch over ta Channel 20, Comeback…" _Shane's voice came through the static of my CB.

Just as I was about to press the call button, my brother's voice crackled to life. _"Now, I know you ain't talkin' to me there, Reverend…" _He chuckled.

"_No, he's talkin' ta me, asshole…best get off it…" _Daryl chimed in a minute later and I pretty sure I saw him smirk at me in his rearview.

"_**Switching over to Channel 20, Over…**_**"** I replied with a laugh, switching the channel before anybody else could start in on us.

"_Hey Sugar-bear, what'cha wearin'? Comeback…" _I heard a perfect impersonation of Cletus Snow not a minute later.

Trusty's head popped up at Shane's much clearer voice, groaning and stickin' his nose to the speaker. Poor thing, he missed his Papa already. Traitor!

"_**You idiot, you saw me not an hour ago…you know what I've got on…"**_

"_So, tell me anyway…Comeback…" _

"_**Well…"**_

Before I could get any further, a shrill honk came from Daryl's truck and he tapped his breaks twice. Without thought of Shane being left hanging on the line, I switched back over to channel 40.

"_**Daryl? What's goin' on…Comeback…" **_

"_Dale's says the R.V. turned bad…we're pulling over…ya copy?…"_

"_**10-4…Over…" **_

Within minutes were all stopped in the middle of the highway, plumes of steam rolling from the hood of Dale's R.V. I grabbed my rifle, a pistol and left Trusty in the truck. I felt bad leavin' him in there, but he'd be more of a hindrance than a help in this situation. So, with the windows cracked and the AC cranked…blessed AC and made my way up to Daryl's truck.

He greeted me at the tailgate, a small smile on his face and his crossbow slung across his shoulders.

"What's the problem," I asked as Daryl and I made it to the front of the R.V. Shane who had been standing next to Dale instantly moved to my side, nearly knocking Daryl out of the way. Caveman!

"I told you we'd never get far on that hose," Dale said, looking miffed. "I said I needed the one from the Cube Truck."

"Can you rig it?" I asked, hoping that they weren't planning on making a go for the hose in my rig…I'd fight for my Angel.

Dale turned to me, wiping his hands on his grease rag. "That's all it's been so far. It's more duct-tape than hose."

Shane had a set of binoculars held up to his face, scouting the area I supposed. "I think I see something up ahead." He said, pulling the specks from his face and turning to my brother. "A gas station if we're lucky."

I was about to offer to go with him when Jacqui came flying out the side door of the R.V., she was panicked. "Ya'll, it's Jim. It's bad. I don't think he can take it anymore."

"Well shit," I said, ignoring the scathing look Lori gave me for cursing in front of Carl.

"Hey Rick, you wanna old down the fort. I'll drive ahead and see what I can bring back."

Ricky looked back at Shane and nodded.

"Yeah, I'll go too," T-dog offered before I could open my mouth. "Back you up."

"You keep your eyes open, now," Shane told me sternly, dropping a kiss to my forehead and squeezing my side tightly in a hug.

"I got'er." Daryl huffed, nodding his head to me. Yay me, I get the redneck babysitter.

Shane kissed my head once more before jumping in his jeep along with T and skirting around us to head up the road.

While Rick went back to the motorhome to check on Jim, Daryl and I decided to do some pillagin'—as he called it. We found a few things, mostly clothes and toiletries but it was still something. We decided to keep them in my rig because we weren't sure how the rest of the group would feel about us "stealing" from the dead, so for now, it was our little secret.

Rick came out of the R.V. just about the time Daryl and I came back to the convoy. His face looked haggard and whatever he had seen seemed to age him 10 years in 10 minutes.

"Ricky, what is it?" I asked, gripping his arm.

He pulled me into a side embrace and let out a long sigh. "It's Jim…" he said quietly. "He wants us to leave him here."

"What?" Lori gasped, coming up from behind me as Shane and T-dog screeched to a halt next to them.

"He wants us to just leave him here?" I asked, shocked. "He wants to become a walker?"

Daryl scoffed next to me, muttering under his breath about how it would have been more merciful to put that pix-ax through his skull long ago. I really agreed with him. It was hard for me to understand why anyone would want to become one of those things. Should I ever become infected…for the safety of those I loved, I would want to be…put down.

In the end, Jim was left sitting under a shade tree and would most likely be rising again within the hour…needless to say; I was ready to get the fuck out of here.

* * *

"Ricky," I said fearfully as I took in the mass of infected littered about the grounds of the CDC. "I don't think this is a good idea."

"It'll be fine." He replied, a little stiffly for him. Apparently big brother wasn't so sure of himself anymore.

"Just keep movin'," Shane said softly, gripping my elbow almost painfully as we quickly moved across the lawn and up to the sidewalk. "Stay quiet."

Trusty was left in the truck for the time being, I was far too scared of him runnin' off or getting shot on accident to take him with us until we found out something. If there was anything here, I would go back for him. He would be fine in there…even if I left him for a few days. He had plenty of fresh water and I left the bag of kibble open. I also brought a container of it in my back pack…just in case we had to get a hold of him quickly.

"There's no one here…

"Then why are the shutters down?" My brother replied to whoever had asked the question. I wasn't really pay attention. I was too busy trying not to trip over a dead body.

"They might have had to lock those things in there, Ricky." I hissed, swiftly covering my mouth to try and block out the smell.

"Walker!" Daryl suddenly shouted, shoving me up against the shutters while Ricky and the others did the same with Lori, Carl, Sophia, Carol and Andrea. "You lead us to a graveyard!"

"He made a call," Lori shouted, getting defensive.

"It was the wrong damn one!" Daryl shouted back.

"Drop it, Daryl…that isn't helpin'!" I hissed at him. "Ricky, we gotta get out of here."

"We can't be here," Lori said frantically. "We can't be this close to the city after dark."

"Ft. Benning, Rick, it's still an option." Shane commented, taking down another walker.

"On what?" Andrea snipped. "No fuel, no food. That's a hundred miles."

"125," Glenn corrected.

"I have plenty of food and fuel," I said, trying to get my brother to see reason. "We can find more diesel trucks along the way. We need to go, before we're over run!"

"Forget Ft Benning!" Rick screamed at me. "We need answers tonight!"

"Don't you dare fuckin' yell at her!" Shane yelled, pointing a threatening finger in my brother's face. "Let's get out of here. Let's just go."

"I'm down," Daryl agreed. "I can get me a new shiny truck, Chirp's got plenty of fuel."

"Ricky, you need to make a decision!" I hissed as the walkers drew in on us. We were running out of ammo…quickly. "We're gettin' boxed in like this!"

"Everyone back to the cars!" Shane finally yelled, grabbing my arm and leading me straight into the fray.

"The camera just moved." Rick shouted, pointing and looking for the entire world like a mad man.

"You imagined it, Ricky…let's go!" I said, braking away from Shane and grabbing my brother's arm.

He shoved me aside roughly, knocking me to the pavement as he started banging on the door. "I know you're in there! I know you can hear me! We have women and children! We need help! You're killing us! You're killing us!"

"Rick, there's nobody here!" Lori shouted as Shane scowled at him, helping me up.

"You're killing us!" My brother screamed once more, pounding on the roll-down shutters with his fists.

Just as the walker were closing in and we thought that hope was lost, light appeared from the cracks of the door and suddenly we were blinded.

I had no idea what would await us on the other side of those doors…but all I could pray for was salvation.

* * *

**~ Author's Note ~**

Ahhh…The CDC…

Trivia: Anybody know who Cletus Snow is?

As always thank you all for supporting this story.

Special thanks to: **ThereAre666Ways2Love**, and **Leyshla Gisel **~ *Big Hugs* Thanks for the well wishes… :)


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*

**Warning: **This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

**Pairing: **Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

**Chapter Nineteen**

The lights were blinding when the rolling doors first opened, much too bright for my sensitive eyes to handle in my concussed state. Tucking my head into Shane's chest, I let him lead me over the remaining dead bodies of the infected and into the building.

"Hello," Ricky called out, his voice echoing loudly off the walls, making us all wince.

The sound of a shell being placed into the chamber of a semi-automatic rifle had me gasping and opening my eyes and had Shane shoving me behind him while the others all raised their weapons in retaliation. Daryl stood next to me his face sweating and his chest heaving. He looked down right pissed, but I guess after the trip we had just made and all the people we had lost…

"Is anyone infected?" A man's voice called out, as a figure stepped out of the shadows of the rapidly darkening room—or perhaps my eyes were just now adjusting.

The man looked like a ghost with his pale white skin. He sported a similar set of dark purple bruises under his eyes that told me that this man hadn't slept soundly in a long time.

He never lowered his gun as he approached, eyeing us all wearily, like we were the Devil finally come to get him—which these days was very understandable.

Ricky breathed deeply, lowering his rifle first and the immediate urge to smack him in the back of the head was powerful. Dumbass was always much too trusting.

"One of our group was…he didn't make it."

The blonde man with the gun nodded, his gun still raised. "What is it that you want?"

"A chance…just a chance."

"That's asking an awful lot these days," he commented darkly, his eyes moving from my brother to scan the rest of us. A strange emotion passed over his face when his eyes found mine—almost a look of remorse before he nodded and finally lowered his gun. "You all will submit to a blood test, that's the price of admission."

"Done," Ricky replied, vigorously nodding his head in agreement.

"If you people have anything you need to bring in, I suggest you do it now. Once these doors close, they stay closed."

"Stay here," Shane told me tersely as he went to retrieve Trusty and our bags from the vehicles.

I nodded without complaint; I for one, had no desire to go back out into that walker infested Hell-Hole without having to. Watching Shane leave was hard though, especially when he was the first out of the group of my brother, T-dog, Glenn and Daryl to dodge a walker that had been milling close to the doorway.

As the rest of us waited, I took the time to let my eyes scan the room. It was eerily quit in here despite the noise of our boys battling the undead outside. The first thing that hit—and it did so like a brick to the chest—was that we were alone. There was just the one man. No military. No scientist. Nobody but this lone man and his an M-16? It filled me with an immediate since of dread.

"_Ricky, what have you gotten us into," _I murmured to myself, smiling sheepishly at Lori when she looked at me like I had lost my mind.

Certainly she had noticed too, right? If the smile of relief on her face was anything to go by…I'd say no, she hadn't noticed.

Within minutes, Trusty barreled into the room, immediately attaching himself to my side and I cautiously looked up to the blonde man to see his reaction. If he even suggested that I leave my poor pup outside…I might kill him myself.

The man was already looking at me when I raised my head, but he said nothing about Tru's presence here, but his eyes were still regarding mine in a way that left me feeling exposed and uncomfortable. What was his problem?

As soon as Shane stopped at my side panting and gripping my waist, the blonde made his way to a key panel near the door and spoke. "Seal the main entrance, cut off the power up here."

"Up here?" I questioned.

He said nothing. As the shutter doors slammed home and locked into place the pang in the pit of my stomach increased.

What had Ricky gotten us into?

The blonde man made himself known as Dr. Edwin Jenner as he led us all to a large industrial elevator with wide steel doors. Apparently we were going down.

Shane pushed me along inside, his hand never leaving my elbow as he wedged me in between himself and Daryl. Had I not felt like I might throw up at any given second I would have laughed at the situation. For all Shane's growling about Daryl, he sure didn't seem to mind him being close to me when my safety was at risk.

"Doctor's always go around packing heat like that?" Daryl asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had engulfed the small space.

God, I hated elevators.

Jenner looked over, his eyes scanning over Shane, myself and finally coming to rest on Daryl as he spoke. "There were plenty left lying around, I familiarized myself."

Shane cleared his throat as Jenner's eyes fell back to me and Daryl scowled coldly at the man.

Jenner's mouth turned up into an amused smirk. "You all look harmless enough," he finally replied his eyes dancing from one person to the next until they lowered on my nephew. "Except you, I'll have to keep my eye on you."

I fought the urge to growl at him but Carl beamed at him with a small laugh so I remained quiet.

As we all piled out of that electronic death trap, I noticed that once again we were met with…nothing. No survivors…no soldiers…not a single person was roaming the halls.

"Where is everybody?" I said softly, unable to contain the burning question within. "The other doctors, staff…Where are all the soldiers?"

"I'm it," Jenner replied with no emotion at all. "It's only me here."

"Why—

"Birdie," Ricky hissed lowly and bumped my shoulder, silencing the rest of my question.

I didn't give a shit if I should have been quiet or not, this was supposed to be some kind of a salvation…

"What about the person you were speaking with?" Lori called out and I had to tramp down the urge to high-five her and stick my tongue out at my brother. "Vi?"

"Vi!" Jenner called out suddenly, and might I add—loudly. I jumped backwards into Shane at the sudden intrusion of his loud voice in the already echoing room and Shane chuckled. "Say hello to our guest! Tell them "welcome"."

"Hello, guests," the purely female voice of a computer replied. "Welcome."

"Wonderful," I grumbled. "We're all at the whim of a damn computer."

This time it was Daryl who spoke, "Fuckin' computers." He grunted his agreement.

Well, at least I wasn't the only one who hated modern technology.


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*

**Warning: **This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

**Pairing: **Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

**Chapter Twenty**

"Who's next?" Jenner asked as he withdrew the needle from my arm and I stepped away from the chair. As soon as I stood my stomach rolled and black spots swam in front of my eyes.

"Shane," I called out desperately as I swayed dangerously on my feet, scrabbling for anything to catch myself on.

I just knew this giving blood thing right now was gonna be a bust. My head was pounding with an incredible pressure and any moment Dr. Jenner was gonna be wearing the insides of my stomach.

Warm, gun calloused hands gripped my bare upper arms, steading me. "I got ya, baby."

"What wrong?" Jenner asked, sounding for once like he was genuinely concerned about our welfare…or perhaps just mine, but I didn't want to think about that right now.

"She has a concussion." Shane replied and I just knew he, Daryl and Rick were burning holes into the side of Ed's face. "…and hasn't eaten in a while."

Ed hadn't made a peep since we left the quarry, handcuffed and stuffed into the back of his own Cherokee station wagon. Rick only took the cuffs off him just before we made it to CDC and I briefly wondered if Jenner would ask about the chaffing red marks they left behind.

It was after Shane had pulled me down onto one of the man chairs in the stadium like seating and Jacqui had taken my place that Jenner's eyes found Ed and he asked the question that I had been dreading.

"What happen to his wrists?" Jenner said, his eyes never leaving Ed's battered face.

Daryl grunted from his spot on a desk close to me, crossbow resting on his forearm. "What's it to you?"

"Well, I have to be concerned about who I let in here; I'm already breaking all the rules." Jenner replied, smiling softly. "Is he a prisoner of some kind?"

"He is," my brother replied, anger coloring his tone. "There was a misunderstanding in the rules about how we treat our women…"

Daryl scoffed, "More like he got his ass beat for layin' hands on a woman that ain't his. Fat bastard, you touch'er again, and I'll put a bolt between yer eyes."

Shane and Jacqui snorted and Jenner's eyes locked back onto Ed, taking in his bruised face and then swinging them back over to look at my matching bruise. "I see."

"And who does the pooch belong to?" He asked a moment later.

My shoulders immediately tensed, and I fought the urge to cry…Please don't let him kick Trusty out.

"He's—

"He's ours," Shane spoke over me and my head snapped up, my eyes hoping to catch his…but he was far too busy staring down Jenner to have noticed.

"His name's Trusty," Carl pitched in, smiling as he whistled and called Tru to his side. "My Dad and Uncle Shane got him for Aunt Birdie when I was still a baby."

Jenner smiled kindly at my nephew before turning his eyes up to me and giving me an even brighter smile. "I take it you're this Aunt Birdie?"

I nodded.

"Yeah, and I'm Uncle Shane." Shane said gruffly as he laid a claiming hand on the back of my neck.

Rick actually laughed at him and so did I. I never would have pegged Shane to be the jealous type. I mean, in High School he never liked it when boys paid me attention…well, in fact, he's never liked it but always thought it was his need to protect his friend's sister that motivated him, not jealousy. I guess I know better now, don't I?

Jenner just smiled at Shane, brushing off my man's apparent need to brand his name on my butt. I guess I could kind of understand. Daryl had already been raising Shane's hackles since the first day I arrived at camp and Jenner certainly was favoring me with some strange looks.

Were they uncomfortable? Very. Did I think the blonde doctor wanted to have his wicked way with me? Not really. His doe-eyed looks seemed to be more nostalgic than anything else. Maybe I reminded him of someone he lost?

* * *

Later, after all of us had been stuck like pin-cushions, Jenner did indeed make it up to us with a hot meal, wine and the promise of a hot shower.

The ladies were given a first go at the showers, which we did so happily, laughing and cat-calling to the men as they made sour faces at the thought of having to wait.

It was so wonderful to be really clean again…and to finally give my underarms a good shave.

Carol, who was fair skinned like me was the one who made the first comment about never seeing me shave. She smiled at the sour look on Lori's face when I told her why. I bet Lori was eating her words about calling me stupid for getting laser hair removal on my legs and neither area now. Not that I ever really had much of a problem with a lot of hair to begin with…but my fair skin did have a problem with razor blades and waxing. So, the first chance I got…which was after my Granny Clara died and left me a large lump of money…I went out and had all that pesky hair removed forever.

Settled around the large table in the mess hall, it seemed that the weight of the past few days was finally lifting and Dale, the ever the prodding old man was working on getting Carl his first taste of wine and Lori wasn't having it.

"When Carl goes to Italy or France he can have wine with dinner then." Lori said, cupping her hand over the empty glass in front of my pleading nephew.

Shane laughed next to me, throwing an arm over my shoulder and pulling me back to him. Shane being from an Italian decent loved his red wine, but the ass got very touchy when he got tipsy…and the ox usually forgot his own strength. Ow.

I'd have to kick Dale and Daryl's asses in the morning. Both of them had been meandering around the table since the start of dinner, refilling wine glasses before they were even half empty. Dale had been handling most of our glasses—well, except for Ed, he wasn't offered any but **Daryl**—surprisingly enough—had become a personal maître-D to Glenn, Shane and I.

Smacking Shane's arm, I hissed at him that he was holding just a little too tightly and glared up at the old man who was still waiting for my sister-in-law to cave.

Though, I shouldn't have turned my attention away from the rosy cheeked Italian next to me because as sure as shit, soon as I did, Daryl—who had taken up post on the counter behind us—swooped in and refilled Shane's glass.

"What could it hurt, Lori?" I heard my brother asked and looked back just in time to see him giving the famous Grimes puppy dog eyes.

Tucking into my third glass, I cheered my brother on. "Yeah, come on Lori, what's a little sip gonna hurt?"

She took a gulp of her own wine and caved, just like I knew she would. Her glass was immediately refilled by Dale as he waited with the rest of us for Carl's reaction.

Carl took a sip, his face turning sour and his nose scrunching up in that cute Grimes way. "Yuck!" He said loudly, slamming his cup back onto the table.

"Good boy," Lori commented, a little tipsy herself and poured the remaining red liquid into her glass, nearly filling it to the brim.

"Why don't you stick to soda pop, there, bud?" Shane teased, taking a healthy sip from his glass. I elbowed him in the gut.

"Not you, Glenn! I wanna see how red your face can get!" Daryl yelled in my ear as he popped up behind me, filling my glass back to the brim. I glared at him over my shoulder and he offered me a cheeky wink. Was the asshole trying to get me drunk?

Ignoring him, I turned back to Shane.

"I wouldn't tease if I were you, Officer Walsh," I told him with a laugh, "or have you forgotten your own first sip of alcohol?"

Everyone laughed, Rick especially as he was also witness to that historic event in time. God, just thinking about the look on Shane's face as he spit that whiskey all over Daddy was enough to send me into a giggle fit.

"Shut-up, Birdie," Shane grumbled, pinching my side. Of course, _**that**_ just made us all laugh harder.

* * *

**~ Author's Note ~**

So, Shane's a little bit of a jelly-bean.

Questions? Comments?


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*

**Warning: **This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

**Pairing: **Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

**Chapter Twenty One**

Ricky stood, lightly tapping his butter knife on the rim of his stemware to gather our attention as Jenner took the only open seat at the head of the table.

"It seems to me that we haven't properly thanked our host," he said as he lifted his wine glass in a toast to Jenner and our fabulous meal. Hell, I was sure Shane could _kick the bucket_ tomorrow and he'd die a happy man full of pasta.

Everyone began cheering and even Daryl jumped in and yelled, "Booya!" whatever that meant.

"So, when are you going to tell us what happened here, doc?" Shane asked, sobering the room instantly. "All the other…doctors, that were supposed to be figuring out a cure, what happened to them?"

"Shane," Rick sighed. "We don't need to do this right now."

I kind of agreed with both of them. Though I loathed having our merriment bogged down with answers probably none of us were going to like…isn't that why we came here? I said as much.

"Now, don't go jumping his ass, Ricky," I said, leaning forward and scowling at my brother. I felt bad for undermining him in front of the group, but like Shane, I wanted to know how Jenner was the only one left. Something was seriously wrong with this place, and no one seemed to want to say anything about it. "This is why we're here, right? This is why you wanted to come here…to find answers. Instead, we…it's just Jenner here."

Ricky glared at me but said nothing, conceding he turned his attention to Jenner.

The blonde looked thoughtful for a moment before he started to speak. "Well, when things got bad, people just…left," he began, looking to Shane and myself. "They went off to be with their families. Then, when things got worse…the rest bolted."

"Every last one?" Shane asked, his eyebrows shooting up high on his forehead.

"No," Jenner answered, his eyes darting from Shane's to mine and lingering there. "Many couldn't face walking out the door. They…opted out."

"Opted out?" I asked, the icy spider-legs of dread slinking down my spine, making me shiver.

Jenner nodded, "There was a rash of suicides. That was a bad time." His eyes looked away from mine and back down at the tabletop, shamed.

"But you stayed," Andrea commented. "Why?"

He shrugged. "I just kept working. Hoping I could do some good."

The room had gone silent again, except for Glenn who leaned forward and laid his head on the table next to my arm, looking up at me with pitiful eyes.

"Man, you guys are such a buzz kill." He groaned, receiving a few chuckles.

As more and more wine began to circulate around the table, the conversations started to edge towards the racy. Ed had skulked off to bed not long after he had finished eating—not that any of us minded in the slightest, but the rest of the group he once again become playful…almost _**too**_ playful. Translation: my brother and sister-in-law were obviously trying for another Rick Jr. Not to mention the foul language that was seeping out of all of our mouths…even mine.

I stood up and leaned down to Shane's ear to whisper. "Baby, I'm gonna go see if the kids wanna play a game or something? Ya' know, let the adults have a little fun."

Shane turned to me, his eyes glassy from the wine and darkened by desire. Oh boy, why did I have to open my fat self-sacrificing mouth?

"Why not Carol?" He purred, his lips finding the side of my neck, just below my earlobe. "I had plans for us tonight."

Biting the inside of my cheek hard so I wouldn't make an ass out of myself and moan audibly, I turned my head, my intent to only kiss him sweetly and be on my way. That plan was blundered however, when Shane's hand shot up, cupping the back of my neck and forcing his tongue between my lips. Oh dear Jesus.

All thoughts of the children were gone and replace by naughty thoughts of me caressing the hard planes of Shane's chest—or was I actually doing that?

The kiss continued to deepen, his talented tongue caressing mine until I heard Carl and Sophia cry "Ew!" in unison.

We broke apart with a chuckle, both of us panting for breath as we tried to tune out the loud cat-calls my idiot brother was making. I guess it could have been worse though, Rick could be like some of those big brothers out there that didn't think any man is good enough for their sisters.

"Don't worry big guy, well get there." I murmured, pulling back and opening my eyes to look at his face.

Dear Lord was that man ever beautiful. It was strange because Shane wasn't the conventional kind of handsome. His ears were a little big, his forehead was a little too short and his nose was oddly shaped from years of getting his nose broken on the job and all the fights the moron got into in high school. None of it mattered to me though, every time I looked at him, I fell a little harder.

He had a silly, drunken smirk on his face now and his eyes were still closed, making him look even goofier. His eyelids parted and his dark brown eyes stared dreamily back at me.

His hand tugged gently at my neck, trying to force my face back down to his for a repeat but I tisked at him and pulled away. "No more wine for you, Sherriff."

"Awe, come on now, Birdie," He whined, poking out his bottom lips.

"Get a room," Daryl grumbled from behind me, though when I turned around to glare at him, he winked and gave me a rakish grin.

What the hell was wrong with these men? Did Jenner put aphrodisiacs in the wine? Was this all some elaborate scheme to insight an orgy?

Looking around the room, I noticed that T-dog, Glenn and Dale seemed to be fine.

Maybe Jenner just wanted to see some Grimes action?

With that highly disturbing thought, I smacked my own cheek—much to Daryl's amusement—and took a step back from my personal hormone stimulator who was still trying to get a grip on some part of my body.

"Alright, come on kids; let's go see what trouble we can get into."

They both jumped up from their chairs—clearly ready to be away from all the testosterone and pheromones flying around the table and each took a hand.

Lori and Carol both looked up and whispered "Thank you," while my brother drunkenly whooped and cried out a slurred "Thanks Lil' Bird!"

Yep, my brother was completely tanked. Have fun with that later, Lori. Ricky might be a wonderful father, a great husband and a fabulous peace officer…but he was the biggest damned baby on the planet when he had a hangover.

Shanking my head at my at them, I leaned down to kiss Shane one more time—on the top of the head this time—and grabbed a kid in each hand and squeezed Carl and Sophia to me.

"Let's get out of here before we get infected any more than we already have by their love bugs, yeah?" I said making sure my voice carried enough for the entire room to hear me.

Most of them scoffed but Jenner laughed loudly, it was the first time I had **really** seen him smile.

"But Aunt Birdie," Carl asked as we were walking away. "Aren't you and Uncle Shane already infected?"

The entire room at our back erupted into laughter.

* * *

**~ Author's Note ~**

Things are starting to get steamy! :)

Questions? Comments?


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*

**Warning: **This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

**Pairing: **Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Opening the rec-room door, Carl, Sophia and I found Trusty already waiting for us, happily wagging his tale.

"Well, Jenner said we can't turn on any of the gaming systems but there are plenty of books and board games here. Have at it."

Both of them smiled brightly at me and took off like a shot, Trusty bumbling on behind them goofily.

We played a game of Mouse Trap for about thirty minutes before they were both yawning loudly into their fists and looking at me with droopy eyes.

"Alright guys, how about a bedtime story, your choice."

Sophia looked truly excited by this and it made me wonder if Ed's controlling nature was also messing with her development. For some reason I just didn't see Ed as the type of man who would let Carol out of her "chores" to even read a bedtime story to their daughter. That man was a fuckin' pig.

Admittedly, I was a little proud when Carl let Sophia pick the book she wanted me to read. It was sweet and in that moment he reminded me even more of my brother; always giving.

Sophia came back with one of my favorite children's book _The Giving Tree_. It was oddly fitting for the situation we found ourselves in these days.

"Aunt Birdie," Carl asked over Sophia's loud yawn. "Will you ask Mom and Carol if Sophia and I can stay in here tonight?"

I smiled ruefully to myself, having already planned for him to ask me that. From what I had witnessed in the dining hall, neither Lori nor Carol was gonna mind Carl and Sophia out of their hair for the night and that really fit in with my plans.

"Well," I smiled sweetly. "On one condition."

Carl beamed, perking up. "Anything!"

"Will you guys babysit Trusty for me tonight?" I pleaded, trying to seem as serious as I could asking my nephew to dog sit so I could wiggle hips with my best friend of thirty years. Yeah, my cheeks were on fire.

Both Carl and Sophia nodded, looking even happier to have the group's furry, four-legged creature stay with them for the night. Uh-oh, I suddenly remembered the things Ricky, Shane and I used to do to the family dog during sleep overs. Thank God they didn't have access to Aqua-net hairspray and nail polish.

_Trusty, don't hate me in the morning_, I thought to myself.

"Alright then, do we have a deal?" I asked, sticking out my hand for the customary spit-on-it handshake—sans spit.

Both of them shook my hand with vigor and started off for Rick and Lori's room to find extra blankets to make a fort, with me right behind them. Dear Lord, Ricky and Lori were gonna kill me in the morning, but it would so be worth it…well, that is if Shane doesn't pass out soon, then this would all be for nothing.

Hmmm, I had better go find him soon.

"Aunt Birdie?" Carl asked nervously. I turned to face him and yes, he was ringing his hands and staring at the floor. Oh boy.

"Yeah, what is it, buddy?"

"Are you gonna be in Uncle Shane's room?" My eyes widened sharply and my face had to have taken on the color of a beet root, because Carl looked up at me and his blue eyes went wide as well, blushing just as madly as me. "I-I mean…in case…in case Trusty gets scared?"

Yeah, nice save little Grimes. _**Not!**_

Clearing my throat awkwardly, I nodded. "Yeah, I'll be in bed with Uncle Shane."

Carl suddenly smiled, his cute pearly whites showing. "Cool. I always wanted you and Uncle Shane to get married, but Dad always said you and Uncle Shane didn't love each other like that. Was he wrong?"

"Carl!" Lori exclaimed, as always, conveniently showing up to overhear on of the most embarrassing conversations of my life.

Carl winced and Sophia giggled. I had to admit, I was fighting off a smile myself. My goofy nephew was just too much sometimes.

Shanking off my smile, I looked at Lori whose eyebrows had disappeared into her hairline. "Hey Lori, did you need somethin'?"

She shook her head distractedly. "I was just coming to check on these two."

I nodded in understanding. "Yes, well these two want to make a fort in the rec-room with Trusty as their shining steed." I said with a giggle. "What do ya think?"

She smiled slyly at me and nodded. "I think we could work that out," she started, then leaning over, she whispered. "T-dog and Jacqui just had to carry Carol back to her bedroom."

"Really?" I snorted.

"Oh yeah." She laughed, "It was good to see her loosen up for a change. I'll make sure I leave a note under her door or something so she doesn't worry when she wakes up."

"Sounds like a plan, man."

"So," Lori said, her voice turning all sly and knowing again. "From what I caught of this conversation and what I saw in the dining hall, I gather you'll be bunking with Shane this evening?"

"Shut-up, Lori," I told her with a playful shove. "Go back to the table and let Ricky hump your leg some more."

"Just admitted it," she said, swatted my shoulder and ignoring my jab at her sex life. "I was right about the whole thing?"

Blushing, I conceded. "Yeah, you were right."

Lori laughed and threw her arm around my shoulder, squeezing me tightly. "Did he finally tell you?"

Again I nodded. "Is he still in the mess hall?"

Lori nodded. "Last I saw, he was trying to get your brother to go to bed, doubt it worked though, Daryl's been cheering him on most of the night."

I groaned, feeling a true since of pity for Lori. Rick would be a handful in the morning. "Is Daryl still being all flirty and cheeky?"

Lori snorted and laughed hard. "Oh Birdie, you blind fool."

"What?"

"Daryl hasn't been flirty or…cheeky with anybody but _**you**_. Rick said he was asking a lot of questions about you when they went to find Merle."

"Great, I'm sure Shane will just _**love**_ that."

We walked in silence back to the rec-room and started setting up the fort for Sophia and Carl. When we were through, and mostly sure it would hold throughout the night. I threw down some newspaper for Trusty in the adjoining bathroom and warned the kids not to forget it was there or they'd have a hell of wake up when then stepped in something unpleasant.

Finally, I stood ready to make my departure, but Carl's hand tugging on my shirt stilled me.

Swatting down on my haunches, I waited for my goodnight kiss, but it never came. Instead Carl regarded me seriously before asking. "You never finished earlier. Was Dad wrong?"

I laughed, totally amused by my nephews determination. "Yes Carl, he was wrong. I love your Uncle Shane very much."

His face lit up with a smile as he fist pumped the air. "Awesome, Dad owes me five dollars!"

My eyes widened for a moment and then, I laughed, kissing his cheek and telling him and Sophia goodnight.

"Has anyone in this family not made a bet on my love life?" I grumbled to Lori as I passed, leaving her with the children as I went on a search for my Italian Sherriff.

Lori just laughed.

* * *

**~ Author's Note ~**

Carl's just so darn cute, isn't he?

Up next: Rick gets shitfaced and Shane and Birdie get dirty. Ya'll ready?


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*

**Warning: **This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

**Pairing: **Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

Ricky was well and truly shit-canned when I entered the mess hall again in my search of Shane. He had his boney legs stretched out across the table, his feet crossed at the ankle and his Patrol Hat hanging low over his eyes. But the dead giveaway was the dopy perm-a-grin stretched across his thin face.

Most of our group had probably long since gone to bed. Andrea and Jacqui were nowhere in sight. T-dog and Dale seemed to be missing as well. I was surprised however to see Glenn still awake—looking horribly drunk—sitting next to Daryl of all people.

"Well hello, brother." I said with an amused smile.

All three of their heads popped up at once—all three of them smiling at me, though Glenn might have thought I was the Queen of England for all I knew; I could hardly see his eyes anymore. Rick opened his arms with a flourish, inventing me in for a hug and Daryl—just like Lori had said—eyed me smoldering baby blue eyes.

Dear Lord.

Stepping into my brother's embrace, I snuggled my head into his chest and sighed. "I've missed you, Ricky."

He chuckled. "Yer th' one whoo moved so far…(Hiccup)away." He replied drunkenly, offset by a nice hiccup.

"Jesus Ricky, how much have you had to drink?" I asked, finally catching the alcohol on his breath…it sure as shit didn't smell like wine anymore.

Daryl laughed loudly from across the table, "He's been drinkin' wit me, Chirp. Dixon's ain't no pussies." I looked up at him and sure enough, he had a nearly drained bottle of Soco in his hand.

Laughing, I turned my eyes up at the slurring redneck. "Yeah, well Mr. Ah Ain't Uh Pussy, you're gonna be runnin' from a steak knife in the mornin' when Lori catches wind of this."

He looked terribly confused for a minute, obviously not understanding the warning I was trying to convey to him. It was admittedly, kind of cute.

Sighing, I elaborated. "After Ricky pukes his guts up all night, she's gonna come after you."

Rick slapped my shoulder, harder than he meant to, I'm sure. "I ain't gonna puke, Sissy."

"Oh Hell," I groaned. "If you're drunk enough to call me Sissy, I'm out of here. Just tell me where Shane is, will ya?"

Daryl scoffed, slamming the bottle of Soco on the table and nudging towards me with his fingers. "What'cha need him for? The party's righ' here."

Glenn, apparently feeling the need to defend his new brother in arms—picked his head up off the table and looked at me—with one eye. "Yeah!" Then he turned to my brother with a dreamy look on his face. "Rick, your sister's really pretty."

Daryl snorted out something that sounded like "Dumbass virgin," and reached over to smack Glenn's shoulder. "She ain't pretty, dumbass. She's hot."

Dear Baby Jesus, save me now. If my cheeks got any hotter this whole place would burn to the ground.

"Hey," Rick slurred as his hands weakly lifted off the table, his head lulling to the side as he spoke. "Tha's my sister… (Hiccup)… yer talkin' 'bout…" he trailed off as he began to snore softly.

Just… Wow…

"Alrighty then," I said to Daryl, realizing I wasn't getting an answer out of my brother or Glenn anytime soon. "If you know where Shane went, let me know so I can go to bed, please?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Don' know." I didn't believe him in the slightest.

"I just passed him in the hall. First door on your left." Jenner said, startling both Daryl and I.

"Christ Jenner, yer lucky I ain't armed, I would done shot you." Daryl snarled, jerking himself into a standing position. Glenn twitched, but Ricky never even moved.

Jenner shrugged and smirked at the gruff and drunk hunter and turned his attention back to me. "I believe he was about to come looking for you."

"Thank you, Dr. Jenner." I told him with my sweetest smile as I rose to my feet.

"Nighty-night boys," I told them, kissing my brother on top of his hat and giving Daryl the middle finger before I strolled from the room.

* * *

**~Explicit Content Warning~ **

As I approached the door my insides started to flutter and my cheeks flamed red. I don't know why I felt so nervous suddenly. Shane and I have both slept in the same bed multiple times and we had made out… why the hell was I so nervous?

I felt like a blushing virgin.

_Deep breathe…deep breathe, Birdie._

Shane looked up as soon as I opened the door, his eyes were concerned and he was in the middle of pulling on a shirt.

"Hey baby, where you been?" He asked, his lips quirking up into a smirk, his eyes shining bright and clear. Apparently the shower had relieved him of his previous buzz.

Closing the door behind me, I shrugged. "Well, lookin' for you actually. Went back to the mess hall but all I found was my brother, Glenn and Daryl…nobody knew where you went."

"Oh yeah," He smiled, stepping forward and grasping my hips, pulling softly against his warm body. "And how was Rick-a-Roo doin'?"

I laughed, laying my hands flat against his chest, running them softly upwards before locking them around his neck. "He started callin' me Sissy."

He shook his head, laughing, before dipping his head low and pressing his lips to mine.

He was being playful tonight, chuckling softly as he pecked each lip, nipping and suckling gently. I pushed up onto the balls of my feet, pushing my lips firmer against his soft skin and mewling when he finally parted them and gave me what I wanted.

"Ugh… God, Birdie," he groaned into my ear, biting down on the sensitive skin of my lobe. I could only moan as he moving his lips to trail a hot line of open mouth kisses along my jaw and down my neck.

"I want ya so bad, baby." He whispered softly against my collar bone.

All thoughts of being embarrassed because I wasn't wearing some sexy lingerie flew out the window the moment his fingers caressed the tip of my nipple, lightly grazing the piercing there.

"Shane," I gasped, pushing myself more firmly against his chest.

"Jesus, Birdie, is that what I think it is?" He asked huskily but answering his own question as he tugged more firmly on my over sensitive and taught peek.

"Yes," I moaned, reaching down a hand and cupping the large bulge below his waistline, "please…more."

He pulled back, his fingers playing with the hem of my shirt before tugging it up and over my head. He gasped when my naked breasts were exposed to his hungry gaze and reached out with both of his hands, gingerly cupping each full mound.

"When did you get these done?" He asked, running a thumb first over the barbell in my right nipple and tugging gently on the small circle adorning the left.

"21st and 30th birthday," I gasped, throwing my head back and moaning loudly.

His lips found mine again in a hard and aggressive show of his want, biting harshly on my bottom lip and dipping his tongue in for a taste. Even as my mind went fuzzy with desire, I couldn't help but think of how good that tongue was gonna feel pressed firmly against my clit.

As much as I wanted to explore each other slowly, kissing and caressing for hours, the fire growing in my abdomen screamed to get on with it. Patience wasn't gonna be my forte right now. I had wanted Shane Walsh sexually since I was 17 and I was through waiting.

Ripping my lips from his, I used my hands to push his head downward, and he chuckled. "Alright, baby, alright."

His lips were like fire as they trailed across my collar bone, greedily sucking at my neck, his tongue darting out occasionally to swipe at my heated skin until he reached the unbearably aching peeks of my breasts.

"Fuck!" I wailed as he took my left breast into his mouth, his tongue swirling around the skin-sensitive piercing and giving it a light tug with his teeth.

"Yeah, baby," he groaned releasing my nipple with a pop, dragging his lips across my breast bone to pay slightly rougher homage to its twin. "God baby, tell me you like that?"

When I didn't answer him, he sucked harder, biting down and making me cry out, "Yes!"

"Yes, what?" He demanded, moving lower still, only stopping his assault on my skin long enough to tongue at the small charm of a bird I had hanging from my navel.

"I like it," I replied instantly, not wanting to give him any reason to slow down or stop. "Please don't stop, Shane."

"Oh, I'm not stoppin', baby."

With a swift tug, he pulled the soft cotton of my drawstring shorts down my thighs, gasping at either my labia piercing or at my tattoo—or should I say "his tattoo"—I didn't know and I didn't care.

His right hand dropped from my breast, gently grazing down my belly until it came into contact with my left hip. "Birdie?" He questioned softly, the desire still strong in his voice but also clouded with awe and…something I couldn't decipher.

"I got it when I left for Florida, before I gave you that pendant." I told him, fingering the gold chain around his neck, watching as he fingers moved in a feather light touch over the bear paws and the number 22; his old football number. "I just couldn't leave without you."

He stood up abruptly, shedding his shirt and completely ignoring the piercing I know got him excited. He cupped my face gingerly, pulling my chin up so I was forced to look him in the eyes.

"I love you, Birdie," he said, kissing my lips gently. "I should have told you a long time ago."

"Me, too." I replied, pressing myself against him, letting my bare breasts graze his naked chest and recapturing his lips in a kiss that set me on fire. "But you have to fuck me now."

He outright laughed at that. "I'm serious, Shane. I want you…now."

His laughter died instantly, a growl building in his throat as he picked me up by my thighs and pressed me into the sofa. He stood back up almost instantly, his hands racing to the buckle of his belt and pulling it loose. His pants were nothing but a distant memory after that, and his boxer briefs soon followed, finally leaving me with a fully exposed view of what I had wanted to see for years.

He was thick, heavy and fully, ready and leaking with pre-cum as he lowered himself between my thighs, his mouth finding mine instantly as he rocked his length against me.

"Fuck, Birdie," he groaned into my neck, his length pushing against the slick opening of my pussy. "Yer so fuckin' wet, baby."

Speaking wasn't an option for me anymore. My mind was lost to the bliss of his thrusting hips. He was strong and powerful in his thrusts as he drew out and pushed in, circling and bucking his hips in different directions to give me the friction my body desperately craved.

"I love you, Shane," I whispered, calling out confessions to things that I never thought it tell another living soul as he continued to rock into me, gathering speed and strength as he went. I told him everything I wanted him to do to me; things that on a normal day would leave my cheeks blazing brighter than the sun.

All too soon, the coil in my abdomen tightened, threatening to break and I crazed over that cliff screaming his name.

"Fuck! Birdie!" He cried a moment later, his thrusts become erratic until he pushed into me one last time; and he pushed hard. "Fuck!"

We were both sweating, breathing heavily as we came back to ourselves, and embarrassingly enough, I was the blushing color of a turnip.

Shane chuckled, his knuckles caressing against blazing apples of my cheeks before leaning forward to kiss me tenderly. "You're so beautiful, Birdie."

I snorted at that, thinking back to Glenn and Daryl's drunken declarations.

"What? You are." He said sternly.

I shook my head at his angry face. "It's not that I don't believe you…you'd just be surprised how many times I've heard that exact sentiment in similar variations tonight."

"Well," he said as he hefted his weight off my spent body, and began straightening out the pile of blankets and pillows on the floor before he beckoned me to him with a crook of his finger. "We got all night for you to tell me about the kid and the hick, but right now I want you to tell me about when you decided to get my pretty little pussy pierced."

Holy shit!

* * *

**~ Author's Note ~**

Well, I hoped it lived up to your expectations. It's been a long while since I've written a lemon. And honestly, I think I've come a long way since then. So, show me love, because I feel very vulnerable right now.

By the way, this was just a beginning for Shane and Birdie. She might be a cop's sister and a shy little thing, but she's definitely not a starfish in the bedroom—or tent—as it were.

Anywho, let me know what you all think…or might possibly want in future chapters.


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*

**Warning: **This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

**Pairing: **Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

"Birdie…"

_No…go, away whoever you are. Shane was just gettin' to the good part. Mmmm._

"Baby…"

_I like the sound of that voice… Oh my…_

"God," I groaned as I came to, feeling his lips trailing across my hip bones would be enough to wake me from the dead. Dear God, those lips.

I was blissfully sore this morning, and really not ready for round…well, I lost count. Seriously, does he think we're still teenagers?

"Shane? I can't…too sore." I moaned.

When he chucked, I finally opened my eyes. He was fully dressed and smiling up at me from between my parted thighs. Huh?

"Just thought you might like some breakfast," he said, leaning down to kiss the 22 tattoo immortalized on left hip. "T-dog found some powdered eggs and bacon…you need protein girl…gonna float away on me soon."

I smacked his shoulder lightly but he only smiled kissing my skin again.

"Birdie," he said suddenly, making me squint my eyes at him in confusion. He looked nervous again. "I need to ask you somethin' serious…but I don't know how you're gonna take it."

Now I was really confused. "Shane, you can always tell me anythin' baby, you know that."

He nodded, but still looked like the young Shane Walsh I knew before he went to high school and became the Ladies Man of King County.

It was eerily silent while I waited and the trepidation within me was building with each minute that he stayed that way. "Shane, you're scarin' me."

"Marry me?"

_Say what?_

My eyes must have looked terrified as they widened to epic proportions, but I couldn't help it. In fact, I think I'm hallucinating. No, I had to be dreaming still.

"Say that again, baby. I don't think I heard ya right the first time."

He smirked at me this time, placing another tender kiss over his tattoo. "Marry me?"

"But—but, we just…I mean, uh, we just…isn't that a little fast?" I was a stuttering, blundering mess and I swore to God and all the little Angels that if this was some trick…I would beat his ass black and blue and toss him Daryl to have some fun with, then possibly a walker.

He sighed. "Baby, I've wanted to marry you my whole life…and now, we just don't know what's gonna happen next. We don't have the time to date properly, like I should have done, but I know I don't wanna die without you bein' mine."

"Baby, I don't wanna get married cause you're scared the worlds comin' to an end." I said reaching up to cup his cheeks, my eyes going wider as I looked at the ring sitting on my forth finger of my left hand.

"Shane!" I gasped. "Is that?"

He nodded, his smile growing even though I hadn't told him yes. "_Nonna's_ ring."

"But—

"Birdie," he said softly. "Birdine Lynnette Grimes, I've wanted to marry you since we was 16. Before Mamma died, she gave me that and told me to choose carefully, but I think she already knew who I had in mind. I've known since the day she put that ring in my hand that it never be on anybody's finger but yours. So, marry me, Birdie?"

Sappy. Damn rotten, sappy man. I knew how hard it was for him to talk about Celia and here he was, telling me somethin' that private…

I nodded. How could I ever even think about telling him no? Fact of the matter was, I couldn't.

His smile grew exponentially, as he parroted me, nodding his head like a fool. "Yes?"

"Yes." I told him, pulling him down to kiss his sweet lips. "Yes, Shane."

He let out a loud whooping cheer, probably startling everyone in the near vicinity.

"But Shane," I laughed, sitting up to put on fresh undergarments. I still can't believe he just proposed while I was butt naked, but I guess that suited him. "How are we gonna get married, it's not like there's a minister traveling around looking for future newlyweds?"

He smirked down at me and extended his hand, pulling me up and flush with his chest. "I don't care about none of that, baby. I just want us to be together. As long as we know that we will be faithful and true to each other, none of that other stuff matters. Like you always said "A wedding ain't nothin' but a piece of paper and a lot of wasted money."

I smiled at him; glad that he remembered that I said that when Lori and Ricky had their big, expensive wedding. And he was right. Lori was a damn wreck throughout the entire thing; she didn't even have fun on her wedding day.

"Well, Mr. Walsh, do you have a ring?"

He smirked, stuffing his hand into his pocket and pulling out a modest silver band. He twirled it between his fingers, letting me look at the simple engravings of the woodland trees and…two birds kissing.

"Baby," I sighed all girly and pathetic. "It's beautiful."

"When I saw this a couple of years ago…I don't even know why I bought it, you know I hate things like this…but when I saw it…I saw you."

"Well, you gonna let me put it on you or what?"

"Yes Ma'am." He saluted and dropped the ring into my hand.

Gingerly, I placed it on his left ring finger and kissed the knuckles there before entwining his fingers with mine and pulling him down for a proper kiss.

As his tongue parted my mouth and I reached up to tug at his ink colored locks, someone knocked on the friggin' door.

"What?" Shane grouched.

"If ya'll want breakfast, you'd better get out here." Lori said, sounding about as smug as I've ever heard her. I could almost see her smiling through the closed door.

"Alright Mom, be out in a minute."

As we—or well I—finished getting dressed a thought occurred to me and I gasped and held up my hand—the one with the ring. "Is this why Carl's been goin' on about us gettin' married?" The look on his face said it all. "It is, isn't it? This was in the little blue box he was talking about."

Shane chuckled, kissing the top of my head. "Ya'know, Lori's right about one thing, Birdie."

"Oh yeah," I challenged. "What's that?"

"You and Rick," he laughed. "You're both blind."

* * *

**~ Author's Note ~**

Okay, I was a little nervous about writing this, but it was planned from the beginning. I know it seems a little fast for that kind of a commitment—perhaps even a little juvenile, but remember: Birdie and Shane have known each other for 30 years and have been in love with each other since they were teens. I don't know about any of you, but if people started coming back from the dead to eat you, I wouldn't be worried about little things like waiting to get married—especially to my best friend.

Okay…rant over.

Now…

I want to thank all of you for the awesome reviews to the last chapter. If I knew beforehand that all it took to get you guys to review was write a little smut…I would be swimming in beautiful feedback.

**Little Black Earrings**, **angellic dragon**, **Paperlanterns86**, and **Leyshla Gisel** thank you so much for your reviews.

And once again, thank you all for reading, alerting and favoring this fiction. Reviews make me smile…

Alright…well, since this story will be completed—probably by the end of the week, I'm off to write chapter 3 of the sequel. Aren't you all excited?

**Up next**...How will Rick and the others take Shane and Birdie's union? And what's up with Jenner?

Hugs and kisses to everyone,

LittleRin26


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*

**Warning: **This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

**Pairing: **Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

The loud clinking of silverware and low laughter sounded from the mess hall as Shane and I entered, his arm draped lovingly over my shoulder. Just as Lori had warned, everyone was already awake—sans Daryl—and gathered around the table, already finished with their breakfast and merely enjoying their coffee and idle chatter. As Andrea laughed at something Glenn had said, my spirits soared; it seemed everyone—even Andrea—were in relatively happy this morning. It was a nice change from the glooming cloud of depression that had been hanging over this group for the past couple of days.

"Did you find Birdie and Shane?" I heard my brother ask—most likely directing the question to his wife.

She snorted when Shane and I sauntered in, nudging my brother's side and jutting her chin out to where Shane and I had taken seats a little ways down from them. Ricky turned his head and his eyes immediately fell on Shane as he sat down to my right, but he said nothing—only groaned. Poor fella looked like Hell.

"Sleep well?" Dale asked, smirking at the smug glowing look on Shane's face—probably mine as well.

"Fantastic." I told him, smiling sweetly.

Jacqui snorted into her coffee before looking up over her steaming mug and muttering, "When?"

Lori snorted loudly and caught my eye as my poor, hung-over brother looked to Shane blurrily and groaned. "Do you feel as bad as I do?" He asked, whimpering like a baby and holding a frozen bag of unnamed vegetables firmly over his forehead.

Shane smiled at this, his hand slipping under the table to caress my leg, knee to hip. "Nope," he replied with a slight chuckle, exaggerating the "P", "Not even close. In fact, I feel pretty damn good this mornin'."

Lori barked out a laugh, using her napkin to muffle the sound as she muttered, "I bet you do." Apparently, because my brother is like me—blind and all that—he totally missed the blatant innuendo Lori just spelled out for him. Instead, he turned his eyes to Shane.

"Why'd you let me drink so much?" My brother whined, apparently blaming Shane for his aching head and rolling stomach.

I shook my head at him. "Oh no, brother, you can't go blaming Shane for this one. This was all you, Daryl and Glenn. That bottle of Soco doesn't seem so appealing now, does it?"

Ricky groaned, turning a little green and Glenn's head popped up at the sound of his name and looked at me questioningly. "Did I do anything stupid?"

Shane chuckled, clearly having remembered what I'd told him last night. "Not unless you think callin' another man's woman "pretty" is stupid."

Glenn's eyes widened adorably and he buried his face into his palms. "I didn't?" Poor thing sounded so hopeful. Like maybe I wouldn't call him out on his drunken idiocies…ha! You play, you pay…that's the Grimes family way.

"Don't be too hard on yourself Glenn; you didn't call me pretty…"

He looked up at me; hope blooming in his eyes, well, before I crushed it…

"You just happened to tell my brother I was pretty with Daryl sitting there."

He groaned louder as the rest of the table laughed. "In front of Daryl?" He cried.

I giggled at him and his flushed face, glad that for once, I wasn't the one blushing. "Like I said, don't feel too bad, Daryl's the one who called me hot."

My brother smiled as he caught Shane's glower, however T-dog also caught the large scratches adorning Shane's neck this morning as he came around offering us a scoop of scrambled eggs.

Thank God I have long hair.

"What happened to you?" T-dog asked his voice cracking comically as he smirked and looked Shane over with mock concern.

Every face but my brother's immediately jerked up to look at me and grinned. My cheeks flamed under their scrutiny and I tucked my face into Shane's chest, pinching his side, telling him without words that he better keep what really happened to himself.

"Must'a done it my sleep," Shane lied easily, removing my fingers and getting up to pour both of us a cup of coffee. His eyes darted towards mine from the coffee pot, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth as he tried to hold a straight face.

My eyes darted back to Rick, hoping that he'd buy the lie and almost choked at the funny way his face screwed up in concentration from under his head compress.

"That's not like you," Rick commented, not even an inkling of comprehension blooming on his face.

I ducked my head to hide behind my hair, praying to God that I didn't laugh and give it away. But that got much harder when Shane sat back down, nudging me with his elbow and handing me my cup of coffee as he spoke. "No, that's not somethin' I'd do at all."

T-dog and Jacqui—whose room for the night was directly across the hall from ours—started laughing, loudly, while Dale, Andrea and Lori started tittering behind their hands. My face flamed hotter as each of them either winked or made a funny face at me…Thank the God's Glenn and Carol were too messed up to remember last night.

But it was Daryl's entrance that finally let the cat out of the bag. It only took seconds after he swaggered in for him to notice Shane's new battle scars and he immediately commented, and commented loudly I might add.

"Damn girl, what ya do to'em?" He said, squeezing my shoulder as he passed. "Hey Chinaman, how's the head?"

Glenn just groaned and muttered something about "never drinking again" but Rick's eyes went wide and darted between Shane and I for a second before a cocky grin appeared on his face. The bastard was really gonna give me hell about this.

Trying to hide my blushing face, I reached forward for my juice glass. Lori's fork clattered loudly to her plate and she started choking hard. Afraid for her wellbeing—Rick darted up and started smacking her back, but Lori was hitting his arm and pointing to…me?

What the Hell?

"Is that…" she gasped. "Is that…" she started again, but kept choking. Fed up with Rick's attempts to find out what was wrong with her, she stood up and leaned directly over the table to grasp…my left hand. "Is that…?"

Rick's eyes finally followed what Lori was pointing out and his eyes got as big as saucers. "You got engaged!" He stated loudly and once again, ever eye turned to me.

Shane smiled warmly as he threw his left arm over my shoulder. Rick's zeroed in on the ring also adorning Shane's left hand and he spluttered. "You-you got married?!"

"We're together, if that's what ya mean." Shane said, tugging me a little closer.

"It's not like there's a minster here to do the actual ceremony or anything," I told him, defending our union to anyone who wouldn't understand. "Besides, you know how I feel about weddings."

Lori—having finally gotten herself under control—smiled and nodded in agreement. Everyone else just cheered in happiness—except for Daryl who growled and turned his head away—and Andrea who scoffed. Why was she such a bitch?

"We should do something tonight," Dale commented, "to celebrate."

Most hummed in agreement but I could see the anger growing in Andrea's face…if she wanted to start something…

"Good morning," Jenner greeted as he made his way to the coffee pot.

Everyone hummed their hellos but Dale piped up, "I'd hate to bombard you first thing in the morning—

"But you will." Shane finished and I smiled at the familiar comment. Was it really just a few days ago that we had found each other again? I guess it was, but with all the chaos…it felt like a lifetime ago.


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*

**Warning: **This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

**Pairing: **Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

Jenner smiled at Shane as he continued to glower at the old man who had seemed to have a knack for interrupting very personal moments—especially ones shared between—well, whatever Shane and I were now. Should I call Shane my husband now? I guess he was.

"We didn't come here for the eggs." Andrea said, looking at Shane with a glare.

_Breathe Birdie, breathe deep._

For some reason not yet known to me, that woman could get under my skin faster than chiggers. I disliked her before her sister died—but now, the woman was unbearable; constantly demanding, whiny and all around rude. I wanted to slap the piss out of her—as Grandma Clara would have said.

Jenner nodded with a pleasant smile and I thought to myself, _man this guy would have been good with small children; he's got more patience than a pre-school teacher. _

Huddled together, we entered another large, empty room that reminded me of what you would see in a dispatch area of Nasa. Large, theater sized screen stretched along the back way and an array of desks and computers surrounding it.

Shane stayed tense at my back, his hand gripping my hip. I could practically feel the negative energy pulsing in this room like bass from a loud-speaker.

"Give me playback of TS-19," Jenner commanded of Vi as he entered and rested his hip at the edge of one of the desks in the front of the room.

"_Playback of TS-19…" _The computer responded, bringing up the image of what looked like a brain.

"Aunt Birdie, is that a brain?" Carl asked as he and Trusty came to stand in front of me and Shane.

Shane ruffled Carl's hair affectionately as I chewed on a piece bacon I had stolen out of Carl's coat pocket—I just knew he was bribing my dog; damn mutt would have to go on the Jenny Graig diet if Carl kept this up.

"An extraordinary one," Jenner replied, smiling at Carl and me. "Not that it matters in the end."

"Take us in for E.I.V." Jenner commanded again and the images of the screen changed to show a more in-depth view of the inside of the brain. Electric charges…memories…ect.

"What are those lights?" Shane asked from behind me, his voice rumbling deep as he rested his chin on the top of my head.

"It a synapses of the brain." I commented lightly, but elaborated when Jenner smiled proudly and nodded at me. "I…they were testing this type of technology on some of the sick primates I was working with. It's basically a person's life; memories, primal urges, it explains what electric impulses the brain carries to make us unique."

"She right," Jenner said, his smiling face once again returning to the rest of the group. "It's everything. Somewhere in all that organic wiring, in all those ripples of light, is you. The thing that makes you, unique…human."

Shane squeezed my hip and my nephew looked up at me with big eyes and whispered, "Wow, Aunt Birdie, you're really smart."

I hushed him, blushing…because I wasn't really that smart. Past what I was looking at, I had no idea what I was talking about…

Daryl shook his head at me and murmured, "Ya'll don't make sense…ever."

I smiled at him, laughing at his completely perplexed face and whispered. "Those pretty lights determine everything a person says or does from the moment of birth, right down until the moment they kick the bucket."

Shane snorted at my hick speak and I elbowed his stomach. Asshole.

"Kick the bucket?" Rick asked, clearly having picked up on the small conversation I was carrying on with Daryl. "Death? Is that what this is, a vigil?"

Jenner merely nodded his head at my brother. "Yes, or rather it's a playback of the vigil."

"This person died?" Andrea asked, looking perturbed. "Who?"

What a shitty question to ask. Like it mattered who it was. Damn morbid, annoying woman.

"Test subject 19." Jenner stated without emotion, but as his eyes found mind they turned sad again. Holy Shit, please don't tell me I remind him of this dead person!

"She…It was someone who was bitten and…infected, who volunteered to have us record the process." A chill when up my spine as Jenner's eyes remained locked on mine. Clearly this person must have meant something more to him than a research subject and it was becoming glaringly obvious that I resembled her.

"Vi, scan forward to the first event."

The screen changed again, this time where there had been a speckling of white lights the brain was completely dark…

"This brain is dying." I muttered, fighting back tears.

"It is," Jenner agreed, looking to me with wetness shining in his eyes…Oh dear God.

"What is that?" Glenn asked, pointing at the red lights that seemed to be overtaking the darkened areas of the brain.

"It invades the brain like meningitis. The adrenal glands hemorrhage and brain goes into shutdown. Then death…everything you ever were or ever will be…gone."

"_Oh my God," _I gasped, hugging Carl tighter to me and Shane did the same for me. I had no idea how the outbreak started or why, but to see what actually happening to someone…it made me hurt for Jim and Amy, and all the others that had been lost along the way. Whatever this was, it really did kill you. Walkers were nothing but an empty shell.

"Is that what happened to Jim?" Sophia asked in her soft voice and I covered my mouth with my hand to choke back a sob.

"Yes," her mother answered looking distraught, but it was Andrea I worried for. She looked about two seconds away from breaking completely.

I truly felt guilty for the thoughts I had about her in the mess hall. She had lost everything and I still had everything to gain. I still had my brother, my sister-in-law, my nephew…and I had just gained a husband. I could only imagine her pain.

Jenner looked at Andrea as she looked away, brushing her eyes with the back of her hands.

"She lost someone two days ago." Lori told him, looking at Andrea with the same mothering concern she held for her own child—which was funny because Andrea was older than both of us. "Her sister."

Jenner nodded but didn't comment, only turned to face the screen again and called out, "Scan to second event…the resurrection times vary wildly. We've had reports of it happening in as little as three minutes. The longest we've heard of was eight hours."

I leaned back against Shane's chest; curling my nephew's face into my side…I didn't want him to see any more of this. I didn't want to see any more of this.

"In the case of this patient," Jenner continued his voice choking up as he spoke, "it was two hours, one minute and seven seconds."

The brain started to show signs of life again, but instead of pulsing white lights or red…it was pink and only showed signs of affecting the bottom of the brain stem.

"It restarts the brain?" Lori gasped, tensing up and looking around for her son. She relaxed slightly when she realized he was fine and huddled up with Shane, Trusty and I.

"Just the carnal parts of us." I replied softly.

Once again, most of the room looked back at me.

I shrugged. "It looks like the brain of your lessor predator…your basic hunting instincts are there; sight, sound and smell…but I've seen these shots in certain Indian Tigers and well…something's missing."

"Again, you're right," Jenner commented. "Like Miss Grimes—

"Mrs. Walsh." Shane interrupted rudely.

Jesus, this was so not the time for this… I pinched his thigh and he growled out a warning into my ear.

Jenner smiled kindly, "Excuse me, Mrs. Walsh. Many of the impulses that make a predator a predator are missing… this brain cannot sense danger. It has no self-preserving instincts telling them that a bullet could harm them…it just gets them up and moving."

"But are they alive?"

"You tell me," Jenner said, looking back at my brother.

"_If that's alive…no thank you," _I thought.

"It's nothing like before; most of that brain is dark." Rick commented.

"The human part…that doesn't come back, does it?" I asked and Jenner shook his head to the negative.

"The frontal lobe, the neo-cortex—the _you_ part. Just a shell driven by mindless instinct."

Suddenly a burst of bright light darted across the screen; the object looking like it nearly severed the brain in half.

"God! What was that?" Carol gasped.

"You shot it in the head," Andrea commented and Jenner nodded.

"Vi, power down the main screen and work stations." Jenner commanded and instantly everything but the lights above our heads went dark.

"You have no idea what this is, do you?"

**~ Author's Note ~**

No long rant today...very hung over:(

Tell me what you think? Please...


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*

**Warning: **This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

**Pairing: **Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

"You have no idea what this is, do you?" I asked, the feeling of dread welling up from the pit of my stomach.

Jenner turned to me, shrugging his shoulders. "It could be microbial, viral, parasitic, and fungal."

Well that narrows it down, thank you.

"The wrath of God." Jacqui added.

"There is that," Jenner agreed with a smirk.

Personally, I didn't like that answer. Any of that other shit…we could survive against, but against the wrath of a deity…I wasn't so sure. I wasn't foolish enough to believe I had lived a good enough life to be saved from a God's anger while children lay burning from infection in the streets… I wasn't divine and I wasn't devoted… sorry, I wasn't buying that answer one bit. We did this to ourselves and we would have to undo it or die.

"Somebody must know something," Andrea proclaimed and once again I found myself losing my patience with her. What did she want to know…how it had started, the reason didn't matter much to me anymore, I just wanted to keep my loved ones safe.

"There might be some, like me," Jenner said offhandedly, obviously tiring of having to explain himself.

"But you don't know? How can you not know?" Ricky urged, stepping towards Jenner. He had that crazy look in his eye again and it worried me.

"Everything went down. Communication, directives…all of it. I've been in the dark for almost a month now." Jenner explained, his eyes flickering up to me.

"So, it's not just here," Andrea stated. "There's nothing left anywhere? Nothing? That's what you're really saying, right?"

"Man," Daryl grumped, somehow right beside me. "I'm gonna get shit faced drunk again." I smack his shoulder, glaring at him and sent Carl over to his mother who looked ready to spit nails at the grubby hunter at my side.

"You really want that kitchen knife in your gut, don't you, Dixon?" I asked, jutting my chin out to where my sister-in-law stood, glaring laser beams at Daryl.

"Dr. Jenner," Dale suddenly asked, "I know this has been taxing for you and I hate to ask—

I barely held in the urge to be petty and say, "No you aren't."

"…one more question, but…that clock, it's counting down. What happens at zero?"

Good damn question. In fact, before Dale said anything, I hadn't paid any attention at all to the clock counting backwards. I don't think I even saw it before.

"The basement generators…they run out of fuel." Jenner shrugged nonchalantly.

"Um, then what?" I asked, curious. "How do we survive in here without air?"

Jenner looked at me, a tear streaming down his face before he turned abruptly from me and strode away.

"Vi?" Ricky called out worriedly, "What happens when the power goes out."

"_When the power runs out…facility wide decontamination will occur." _

I gasped, jumping back in complete shock and covering my face with my hands.

"Birdie," Shane called, his hands gripping me tighter. "Birdie, what is it?"

"Neutralization. They're goin' into biohazard mode. They…the building is going to remove the threat of infection! We need to get out of here!"

**~ Author's Note ~**

I know it's a little on the short side, but the I've posted three chapters today... so :P


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*

**Warning: **This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

**Pairing: **Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

"We need to get to that basement, now." My brother stated, finally realizing that this was not the saving grace he had once thought it was.

"I'm going to pack," I whispered against Shane's peck. There was no way in Hell I was staying here any longer than was required. From the moment we stepped foot into this place I knew it was bad news…and I was Goddamn right!

Shane nodded as he and my brother, along with T-dog prepared to go investigate.

"Be careful," I told him, popping up onto my toes to kiss his lips sweetly. "Please be careful."

He nodded once, kissed my temple and then disappeared down a dark hallway with the rest of our men—well, excluding Dale and Glenn.

When the power cut off a few minutes later, Lori and Carl met me in the hallway looking scared and panicked. "Why is the air off?"

"I don't know," I lied, hating to do it, but not really wanting to instigate widespread panic…telling Lori would do just that.

As Jenner stormed passed us, nearly knocking me over, Daryl poked his head out of his room and demanded to know what was going on. Jenner ignored him, merely grabbing the bottle of Soco out of his hands and preceded on his way down the hall.

"Jenner?" I questioned, scooting along behind him, Trusty right on my heels.

"Energy use is being prioritized." He answered, not bothering to stop and explain. Not that I needed him to. I understood very well what was happening, now if I could have made my brother understand that we would have been well on our way down the highway by now. "It's not up to me anymore. Zone 5 is shutting itself down."

Stubborn ass!

Daryl came storming after us, shoving me behind him and getting in the doctor's face. "Hey man, I'm talkin' to you! What do ya mean "it's shutting itself down?" How can a building do anythin'?"

"Goddamn computers," I muttered exasperatedly in his ear.

"You'd be surprised," Jenner commented, his lips screwed up in a grin, like this was some huge joke. Bastard; this wasn't a laughing matter. Was he suicidal?

"Rick!" Lori yelled as she and Carl were making a run to the front of the line when he and the others came into view.

"Jenner, what's happening?" Ricky asked disappointment and irritation written all over his face as he gripped his wife and child to him.

Shane came up behind me, pulling my back to his chest as he asked me in a whisper what was going on. I had nothing to tell him that I hadn't already.

"It was the French." Jenner said suddenly as he came took another pull off the bottle of Soco and passed it back to a confused Daryl.

"What?" I asked, not understanding the out of the park comment Jenner just up and made.

"The French," Jenner repeated. "They were the last ones to hold out, as far as I know anyway. While our people were bolting out the door, they stayed in the labs till the end."

"Till the end?" My brother asked, confusion also coloring his face.

Jenner shrugged. "They thought they were close to a solution."

"Yeah," I said, suddenly annoyed with all of this small talk. "What happened?"

The blonde smiled at me, almost as if he were somehow entertained by my temper. "The same thing that's happening here."

"Let me tell you somethin' you son of a—

"Ta Hell with it, Shane, I don't care anymore. Lori, grab our things. Everyone, get your stuff; we're getting out of here…Now."

Shane looked down at me, a proud smile forming on his lips. Well, he could be proud later, right now we had to help the others.

"Alright everyone, you heard him, grab your shit!" I yelled, trying to get the ball rolling. They were still standing around watching the clock count down. Come on people, there's no New Year's Kiss at the end of that countdown.

Just as Glenn and a few others reached the doors, an alarm sounded and the doors sealed shut.

"Did you just lock us in?" Glenn yelled. "He just locked us in!"

My heart was thudding wildly in my chest as I tried to figure out a solution. Why was Jenner doing this? Could Jenner even help us anymore? Why wouldn't he have told us about this sooner?

No matter what I thought of, only one thing kept ringing through my brain…we were trapped. Then the only thing I could feel was anger. This man had betrayed me…betrayed my family. He was a threat.

"Why would you do this?" I screamed as Daryl wizzed by my head, his bottle of Soco raised in the air…the intent to strike Jenner with it clear.

Shane and T-dog surged forward, trying to push Daryl back as he screamed profanities and threatened the doctor I had once felt sorry for. It was obvious that most of the people standing here with me wanted to grab that bottle from Daryl and do the job themselves. If glaring daggers at someone could actually kill them, well then Dr. Edwin Jenner would be nothing but a pile of ashes courtesy of one Lori Grimes…she looked ready to slaughter his ass.

"What happens in 28 minutes?" My brother asked, his chest heaving with anger and worry for his family.

Jenner laughed a small humorless laugh. "Do you know what this place is? We protected the public from some _very _nasty _stuff_!"

Shane growled and took a step closer, daring the obviously smaller man to take a chance and swing on him. I held no doubts that Shane would have taken him apart.

"Jenner?" I growled, taking a step around my husband and shoving myself right into his line of sight. I was hoping that if all else failed, the resemblance I held to someone he was familiar with might make a difference.

He sighed then, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "In the event of a power failure in a terrorist attack, for example…H.I.T's are deployed to prevent any organisms from getting out."

Gritting my teeth together, I bit out. "Tell them so that they can understand you."

He sighed again. "Vi, define H.I.T's."

"_High Impulse Thermo baric Explosives: consist of a two stage aerosol ignition that produces a wave of significantly greater power and duration than any other known explosive except nuclear. The vacuum pressure affect ignites the oxygen between five thousand and six thousand degrees and is useful when the greatest loss of life and damage is desired." _

"What does that mean?" Carol cried, obviously understanding that it wasn't anything good as she clutched her daughter to her chest. Ed sat on a desk chair, looking at his feet…ready to give in and give up. Like I said; he's the worst kind of pig.

"It lights the air on fire," I said, trying to hold myself upright and not collapse under the weight that we were really locked in here like caged animals.

Jenner nodded, only sadness in his eyes as he looked at me. It hit me then, the dread I had been feeling since we stepped foot into this place…it was him; Jenner. He wasn't a man anymore. He was nothing more than a walking, talking shell…he was no more useful than a walker trying to eat you. That bastard had tricked us when he said those doors wouldn't open again. It pissed me off!

"No more pain," he said softly, "An end to sorrow, grief…regret—

"And what if we don't have regret, you coward?! What if we're just tryin' to survive?! Then what? You still gonna lock us in here and kill us off like cattle because someone you loved died?!" I screamed, grabbing the axe from Daryl's hand and marching up to Jenner.

"Open the damn door!" I demanded, tears streaming down my face as I pointed the axe in his face. "My nephew is not dyin' like this!"

"You know," Jenner mused, looking nostalgic all over again. "You reminded me so much of my wife. You look and act just like her."

He pulled a photo out of his lab-coat pocket and I gasped when I saw it. She very well could have been me. She had blonde hair and she was older, but she could have been my twin sister she looked so closely related.

"Out of my way!" Shane yelled and suddenly the axe was grabbed from my hands and Daryl and Shane went to work, hacking away like they might get somewhere.

Jenner turned to me then, his eyes fueled by despair. "You should have left well enough alone, but I guess…in the same token, you're too much like her; she couldn't leave anything alone either."

"Easier for whom? You?" I asked furiously. "Look Jenner, I'm very sorry your wife died…but I still have my family. I just got married to the man I've been in love with for 19 years and known for 30. I'm not gonna just die like this!"

"I'm doing this for all of you. You know what it's like out there—

"Yes," I replied, my voice raising in pitch the angrier I got. "But I also know what it's like in here…it's the same as space dementia. You're completely out of your fuckin' mind! Please, don't kill us off like this."

"Can't. Make. A. Dent." Shane panted as he lumbered near my back.

Jenner smirked and I fought the urge to smash his face in. "Those doors are designed to withstand a rocket launcher."

"Well your head ain't!" Daryl yelled, lunging forward with his axe raised.

Ricky and Shane luckily caught his arms before he could sustain any real damage, because I had a feeling, nothing short of Jenner's will would get us out of here.

"Take it easy. Just back up…" Ricky cooed, trying to get the furious man to calm down.

Jenner nodded to my brother. "You wanted this," he vowed. "Last night you said you knew it was only a matter of time before everybody you knew was dead."

"What?" Shane asked Rick, bewildered. "After all your big talk?"

"I had to keep hope alive, didn't I?" Ricky replied defensively.

Growling and shoving Shane aside, I glared at my sentimental, idiot brother and the man who manipulated him. "My brother was shit-faced drunk last night! Don't you dare have the audacity to act like he would want this for his boy! For his wife! For his twin sister! Because he doesn't! And he never would! You bastard!"

"What part of "Everything is gone" don't you understand?" Andrea growled.

Wrong time, Andrea!

"Listen here, **Bitch**. I've tried to be understanding to your grief. Believe it or not, I _cared_ about Amy _too_. But I _**don't**_ care about _**you**_…or any of your poor me **bullshit**! If you want to stay here, then have at it. But my brother, my nephew…my _**family**_, we have a **right** to try and survive, and not kill ourselves off because a **coward** says we should."

"This isn't right," Carol chimed in, "You can't just keep us here!"

I had news for Carol, that psycho could very well keep us here if he wanted.

**~ Author's Note ~**

Questions? Comments?


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, ect., are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Summary:** When the world ended the only thing Birdie Grimes wanted to do was to get home to her family. When she finds her sister-in-law and best friend on the outskirts of Atlanta, will she finally get the chance to tell him how she really feels? Will love blossom? *No evil Shane*

**Warning: **This fan-fiction is rated Mature for Language, Gore and Adult Situations. Readers under the age of 18 are strongly discouraged from reading.

**Pairing: **Shane Walsh x Birdie Grimes

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

"One tiny moment, a millisecond…no pain."

"My daughter doesn't deserve to die like this," Carol yelled, fresh tears streaming down her face as she looked to her husband who still did nothing to help.

"Jesus Christ, he's really gonna kill us. We're really gonna die." I whispered, turning my face away from the suicidal doctor.

Shane turned me away, pulling me close to his chest as I sobbed. He kissed my head tenderly, cooing into my ear. "No baby, nobody's gonna die. Shuhh."

"Wouldn't it be kinder, more compassionate to just hold your loved ones and wait for the clock to run down?"

Suddenly, Shane's body tensed beneath my fingers, a growl building in his chest and I saw more than heard him pump a shell into the barrel of his shot gun. He broke away from me and charged forward.

"Shane no!" Ricky yelled, stepping forward to block Shane.

"Out of the way, Rick!" Shane demanded, pushing past my brother and raising his loaded shotgun to Jenner's head. "Open that door, or I'm gonna blow your head off! Do you hear me?!

Ricky tried again, rushing forward to back Shane off. Lori was screaming at Shane to listen to him and then began screaming at me to do something.

"He dies…we all die." Ricky said calmly.

"Arrrggghhhh!"

The yell was one full of rage and hurt. It was terrifying to see the man I loved so out of control. He wasn't acting rashly anymore…I understood that, but he was trying to protect his family, perhaps in the only way he knew how. As scary as it was to see him point that gun at another human being…nothing horrified me more than the shot that rang out not a moment later.

"Shane!" I screamed, waiting for the moment Jenner's brain matter would connect with the wall behind him…it never did. He had shot the computer next to Jenner.

My brother, scared and pale snatched the gun from Shane's hand, smacking him across the face with the stock and knocking him to the ground.

"Ricky—

"Are you done now?" Rick asked, pointing a finger in Shane's face. "Are you done?"

"Ricky!" I yelled again, smacking him across the face and pushing him aside.

"Yeah, I guess we all are." Shane sneered as I helped him to his feet, running my finger along the harsh bruise already maturing on his left cheekbone. He pulled me to him roughly, his arms wrapping around my waist as if he were scared I would disappear before his very eyes.

"I think you're lying." Rick said suddenly, still holding his stinging cheek as he turned to face Jenner.

"What?" He replied looking confused and surprised.

"You're lying about hope." My brother said. "If that were true, you'd have bolted with the rest or taken the easy way out. You chose the hard path. Why?"

Jenner shook his head, turning his eyes down downward. "It doesn't matter."

"It does matter. It always matters." Ricky argued. "You stayed when the others ran. Why?"

"Not because I wanted to. I made a promise…to her. My wife." Jenner said, smiling sadly at me. "You really do remind me so much of her."

"Test subject 19 was your wife?" I asked, not really surprised by this revelation. I knew in when he explained how the infection spread that the TS was someone very close to him.

"She begged me to keep going as long as I could." Jenner commented softly, taking a step towards me, "How could I say no?" His hand was raised as he took another step looking like he wanted to caress my cheek, but I was pulled backwards.

Pulling forward a little, I pled my case. "Your wife didn't have a choice. You do. And that's all we want. It's all I want. A choice…A chance."

Rick stepped up shoulder to shoulder with me. "Let us keep trying as long as we can?"

Jenner sighed, stepping forward despite Shane's warning and putting both of his hands on my shoulders. "Topsides locked down. I can't open those."

"Thank you for letting me see your face again, if only just this once." He leaned forward, his head angled down and for the moment I was glad Ricky had taken the gun from Shane's hands, because Jenner was no longer speaking to me.

"What was her name?" I asked, not pushing him away.

"Candace. Her name was Candace." And with that he lowered his head and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead before backing away and running his card through the keypad and unlocking the doors.

"Come on. Lori, Carl…let's go!" I yelled at them, grabbing Lori by the arm and rushing to the doorway.

In passing, I saw Jenner lay a hand on Shane's shoulder, whispering something too low for me to hear, but I did catch Jacqui and Andrea say that they were staying. I wasn't listening anymore; I was too busy getting my own family out.

"Get them doors open!" I heard Daryl yell as we approached the glass doors at the entrance. Those same glass doors that we thought were our saving grace just might be the death of us now.

"The glass won't break!" I heard Sophia yelled, her father panting and holding onto his knees just feet from her…tears streaming down his fat face.

"Get off your ass and help your family!" I screamed at him as Shane blew passed me, shotgun in hand and yelled "Get back!"

He unloaded several rounds on the glass but it only ricocheted.

"It's bulletproof!" He exclaimed, hanging his head.

"Rick," Carol said, digging through her bag. "I think I have something that might help." She pulled a grenade out and handed it to my brother. "When I washed your uniform, I found this in your pocket."

Ricky eyes were wide, looking at the woman with a dumfounded and hopeful grin.

"Birdie, get down!" Shane yelled as Rick rushed forward, the grenade launching from his hand. I took cover, throwing myself against Lori and Carl, both of us shielding him from any fragments of the blast.

And then we were running again. Trusty barked, running at my side as we dodged walker after walker, shooting some and outmaneuvering others until we reached the safety in the cab of the large Semi.

Shane was hauling himself into the driver seat when the explosion rocked the ground, and he threw himself down on the floorboard. Trusty barked wildly, yipping and whining as the noise became deafening to even human ears.

We sat up in unison—Shane and I—and watched with wide eyes as a mushroom cloud as large as a skyscraper rocketed towards the sky. I had never seen anything like it and I doubted I ever would again. Shane pulled me to him, kissing my lips fiercely as we watched what the other ahead of us welcoming Dale and Andrea back. Jacqui was dead.

"I love you, Birdie…whatever happens from this point on…till the end, I love you."

"I love you, too." I told him, meaning it with all my heart as Shane put the truck into gear, and followed the convoy to wherever the road might lead.

**The End**

* * *

**~ Author's Note ~**

Well, we've come to the end my friends…but this is not over. By the time most of you have read this message at the end of Chapter 29, I will have already uploaded Chapter 1 of the sequel: **Wherever the Road Might Lead**, so if you wish to continue on this insane road that Shane and Birdie are on…you'll have to check it out.

Now hugs and kisses to all my peeps who've reviewed.

**DamonSalvvatorelover789, gypsykl79, iLoveBeckAndAvan, Leyshla Gisel, deelove1, ThereAre666Ways2Love, angellic dragon, Paperlanterns86, Little Black Earrings, **and** Beldoge…**

Thank you all so much for all of the support you've shown me and I hope to see all of you at the sequel.

LittleRin26…Out! :)


End file.
